Twisted Story: Take Two
by Tom T. Thomson
Summary: Sequel to Twisted Story. Read that first. Slash. Rating will change I just know it. RvB Story. OC and OOC. I think that's it. Chapter 12.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Yeah. I know. I suck at getting things up. A reviewer reminded me about this thing (People still read it?!) So here's the sequel to Twisted Story.

Minutes ticked by. Slowly. It was painful to just watch the seconds tick by. They seemed to stretch on into minutes and minutes into hours. There was nothing more James wanted than to get out of that classroom. Sadly no matter how much he wanted to get out, to go home, time continued to crawl.

_Come on, clock. Move faster._

His wishes never came so what felt like hours later, the bell rang and he was allowed to leave. Well not quite.

"James? I want to talk to you."

_Fuck it…_

James waited until the last person left the classroom before looking at the teacher. Mr. Morgan was tall and had only been teaching for a few years. James didn't like him very much.

"James we need to work on this."

James didn't say anything; he just stayed in his seat, staring at his desk. There were cuts in it. Deep ones. The kind that meant someone was so board they had enough time to slowly make the same motion with a pen over and over again.

"You can't keep doing what you are doing in this class. If you don't get this next test, that's it. You fail this class and you fail this year."

"I know. You've told me this before. You've talked to Dad about this. I know I fail another class I get to repeat this year. You don't need to tell me again." James sighed. "Can I go? I have a lot of homework I need to get done."

Mr. Morgan frowned but nodded. "See you next week."

James picked up his bag and left the room and the school. The walk home was long. Not really; he lived about a block from school but it felt long but at long last he was home.

He ran up the steps and opened the door. Softly he closed it behind him, hoping no one noticed him. He started making his way down the hallway when…

"You're home."

James stopped and set his bag down. "Yeah."

"What did the teacher say?"

"If I failed the next test I get to repeat this year."

James' father sighed. He wasn't a large man but he was imposing. And for some reason it always felt like he was about to cry. Especially when he looked at James. His dad, Michael, looked up from his chair and motioned him to sit on the couch. James did as he was asked.

"You can't do this, James."

"Do what?"

"James I don't have the energy to play games right now." You never do. "You did so well before this year started. What happened? What changed?"

_You did. Last year you treated me just fine but now you've distanced yourself from me. I need you. If you want me to do well you need to stop looking at me like that. Looking at me like I'm a ghost._

"Nothing."

Michael sighed again. "Okay. Allison and Tucker will be coming over tomorrow. I would like it if you could be around for that."

James liked Allison and Tucker. They were fun. He would most defiantly be there tomorrow.

"I'll try."

"Thanks."

James picked up his bag and went upstairs with it. His room was always a surprise to his friends. Their rooms were messy; clothes flung into the corners, trash everywhere, books left where they fell from the shelves. James' room was clean. His school books were placed neatly on the shelves, his clothes never touched the floor and trash was always put in its place, the trashcan.

He set his bag down and pressed his head into his hands. It was hard to only have one parent. He envied his friends' who had both. Many times James had asked about his mother, he had to have had one, only to have his father collapse in tears. James had stopped asking about her.

He moaned and turned on the TV. News. This was what he watched, nothing but news. Why? It helped calm him. He didn't know why but seeing people in pain helped him stay calm. James had anger issues. He snapped at people on a good day and mauled them on a bad one. Today had been a good day. Today he had remembered to take his pills. He hated them. They made him dizzy, something to the point of vertigo; gave him headaches, of course aspirin didn't help any; and sleepy, more than once he had fallen asleep after taking them. This was not something new. His pills had nothing to do with the problems he was facing in school. Ever since he had been old enough to take them, he had been on these pills.

The TV said something that caught his interest.

"New research has shown that children born to any of the SPARTAN series one, three, or four inherit their parents' enhancements. This has caused some controversy amongst recruiting in schools. Dan Ashley has more on this story."

The camera changed showing a middle-aged man with the words "Dan Ashley" at the bottom of the screen.

"That's right." _That's right what? That's right you have more? That's right there is controversy in schools?_ "The Government wants to recruit as many of these 'Second Generation SPARTANS as they can. They Military is working on getting names of the children and hope to get them to join. They plan on using more aggressive recruiting methods—"

James turned off the TV.

The SPARTAN programs had always interested him, much to the dismay of his father. It was the SPARTAN IIs that were the most fascinating for obvious reasons. James noticed how the report said series one, three and four. The thought of a II having kids was amusing.

Quickly James pulled out his schoolbooks and opened one up, taking up a position that looked like he had been reading for a while. Just in time too. His father opened his door.

James looked up. "What?"

"Studying?"

"Yeah."

Michael nodded and left.

Life had been hard for Michael J. Caboose. Life before his family was killed had been hard. After their deaths, the only way he thought he could cope was by joining the SPARTANS. After that, life only got harder. The training was instance and even now he could remember everything they had drilled into him. Then life changed on him again. Then he was shipped out to Blood Gulch Outpost Alpha. Then he met…

No. It still hurt. Of course he knew part of the trouble James was having in school was his fault. But James looked so much like him. Sometimes he would be watching his son do something, anything, and it would remind him of…

Caboose closed his eyes fighting the tears. Almost eighteen years and it was still painful. He remembered how long it too Te… No she was Allison now. He remembered how long it took Allison to convince him it would be okay if she and Tucker (not in the Military and still went by his last name) come by.

_"We just want to see if you guys are okay. It's been so long. Pictures are not the same and I want to see James again."_

Now the two of them were coming over. Suddenly Caboose had a flashback of a SPARTAN III firing at the wall around him. Allison had scared him so much back then. If you had told him back then they would be as close as they are now, he would have… Actually, he didn't know what he would have done. He had grown up so fast he felt like he had lost a part of himself…

It didn't really matter though. He had pushed all that back. Far far back. He didn't want to remember any of what had happened in Blood Gulch.

But without Blood Gulch, he wouldn't have James. Allison and Tucker wouldn't be together.

If not for Blood Gulch… He would still be alive.

"Stop it. You already haunt me enough though James. You don't have to haunt me by reminding me of what I lost. Go away."


	2. Chapter 2

Allison was hanging her legs out of the car window. She had started doing that soon after she started dating Tucker. It was fun. The feeling of the air moving so quickly between them was nice. It reminded her of the good sex. Of the light touches.

"I'm lost."

"No you're not. Just take a right up here."

Allison smiled. Her man had come a very long way. He had grown up. When they first met he would never have said something like that. Never would have admitted he didn't remember where he was going.

As the car tuned, Allison sighed content. It had taken her seventeen years but she was happy now. She had put Blood Gulch behind her. She had put the Military behind her. After the War was over she took a few other jobs but soon after the third one, she stopped. Once she stopped her Mercenary profession, life welcome her with open arms. Colors seemed to be brighter and richer. It was wonderful. It was fun to be unemployed. Over the years she had become less dominant and more kind. She cared about people now. She hadn't care about people since before the War started. Before she had started dating—

"This is the place?"

Allison looked around. They were on a small street with neat houses on each side.

"Yep. It's the white one."

Tucker pulled up and killed the engine. He looked out of the window at the house and shook his head.

"What?"

"I just have a hard time believing that Caboose lives in a little white house."

"Little? It's three stories."

"You know what I mean."

Allison did know. They all had changed since their time in Blood Gulch. Some more than others.

They got out of the car and made their way up the drive. Once they reached the porch Allison knocked.

"Relax."

Before Tucker could answer, like he had an answer, the door opened.

Allison smiled and hugger her old team mate. "It's good to see you again."

Caboose let her go and smiled weakly. "It's good to see you too. Come in. Hey, Tucker."

Tucker nodded and followed his girlfriend inside. It had been two years since he had last seen Caboose and five years since he had last seen the inside of this house. White walls were trimmed with dark oak. It didn't feel like Caboose. Neither did the oriental rugs that covered the wall-to-wall carpet. It all felt stiff. Caboose, at least the Caboose Tucker used to know, was alive, animated. What had changed?

The answer came down the stairs at that moment.

_Holy crap!_

"James, you remember these two, right?"

James smiled. "Course I do!"

Allison stepped forward and they embraced.

Tucker found he couldn't move.

_"Let me get this straight... you're telling me that the guy that showed up here, scared the living shit out of us, shot at Caboose and beat the hell out of the reds wasn't a guy at all? That he was a chick? And on top of that, she was your ex-girlfriend?"_

"In a nutshell, yes. That's an excellent summary."

The irony was that she was now his girlfriend.

With a fair amount of strength, he shook himself form the flashback. Tucker fallowed Caboose into the living room. They sat down and Caboose sighed. Allison had fallowed James upstairs; they had always gotten along.

"Tucker?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you see it?"

Tucker didn't need to ask. It was blindingly obvious what he was talking about.

"Yeah."

"It hurts."

"Yeah… I don't know how Allison deals with it. Each time you sent pictures… It opened the wound again."

"It's about to get worse." Caboose fished around in his pocked before pulling out a piece of paper. It had been read many times. Had been folded and unfolded over and over again. Caboose handed it to Tucker who read it.

_"Dear Mr. Caboose._

I have been informed that you know what happened to my son. I was never told why he did not come back when the War ended. After almost eighteen years of writing letters, I was told you would be able to tell me how he died. I will meet you at your home at eleven in the morning on March the fifth. Please be there.

Scott."

"Who's this Scott?"

"His father. James' Grandfather."

Tucker's eyes became wide. "The fifth is in…" It's hard to add two numbers when you don't remember what two numbers you were adding.

"It's in one week." Caboose took the letter back. "James will be home. They will meet. Scott will know."

"Is this a bad thing?"

"Did Allison ever tell you why she dated…" Still couldn't say his name.

Tucker paused. "No."

"It was because his dad didn't like the fact he was gay. What do you think will happen when this guy finds out that his son had a child with another man?" Caboose closed his eyes. "James has anger issues."

"Just like…"

"It runs in their family. Scott's going to flip."

Upstairs James was talking to Allison while they sat on his bed.

"It's hard because I know she likes me but I'm not sure if I like her anymore. Not sure if I ever did."

Allison nodded. The last time she and James had talked they talked about this girl that James had started dating. That had been almost two years ago.

"Well, how far have you gone with her?"

James shook his head. "We used to kiss but now I feel weird holding her hand." He got up and opened a dower. He pulled out a bottle and took out two pills.

"Still on those?"

James nodded and swallowed the pills. "Forgot to take them when I got up." He sat back down.

"What about when she touches you?"

"I don't like it."

"Have you two fought?"

"No."

Allison watched as James fingered a hole in his pants.

"Do you still like girls other than Jessy?"

James stopped his movement and frowned at Allison. "What?"

"Do you still find yourself attracted to members of the opposite sex?"

His frown deepened. "…I'm not sure I ever did."

"And there is your problem with Jessy. You're not attracted to her on principle."

"What principle?"

"She's a girl and you like boys." She tilled her head. "Or is there something else?"

"No.. I just… I just never thought… I."

"You'll get used to it."

He looked out the window. "My dad wont like it."

"What makes you say that?"

"He set me up with Jessy remember? He's done everything short of telling me I have to be straight."

Mentally, Allison was laughing. Caboose had no business telling his son not to be gay.

"He'll get used to it too."

"Can you tell me something?"

Allison nodded. "Anything."

"My mom…" He watched her before going on. "Who was she? Dad never talks about her. I don't even have a name."

"James, I can't tell you that."

"You said—"

"The topic is still very delicate with your dad and I have promised I would not tell you."

She paused. Footsteps on the stairs. Caboose opened the door and said, "Tucker and I are going to have lunch out. We'll be back in a few hours."

"Where are you going?"

"Vinnie's."

James nodded and Caboose left.

"Tucker promise too?"

"Yeah."

"Will I ever know?"

"Yes."


	3. Chapter 3

Caboose and Tucker did go to Vinnie's; they just never went inside. They stayed outside in the car for a while.

"Do you think this could be part of the problem?"

"I know it is." Caboose sighed heavily. "I know the way I've been acting has effected him. Not just in school. What is the most painful is I know how to fix it. I just can't tell him. It still hurts too much."

"I could—"

"And I don't want you or Allison to tell him either."

"He should know before Scott shows up."

Caboose moaned. "I really don't want to see him. I don't want James to see him and I cringe at the thought of Scott telling him." A pause. "I don't know what to do."

Tucker sighed. "What else is there?"

"He's gay."

"Is this a problem? You are."

"I don't want to lose him like I lost…"

"All the more reason to tell him about it. About him."

"I'm afraid he will either way. Oh God I can't lose him."

Tucker reached out and rubbed Caboose's back, soothingly. "Everything will work out."

Allison leaned back in the car. She was looking for a loophole. She knew that Caboose wanted James to know. She could not tell James. Neither could Tucker. They could not tell someone else but no one else knew. No one…

Wait.

That wasn't true. Someone else did know.

But how could Allison get them to talk?

And then a light went off in her head. She knew what she could do. It wouldn't be breaking her work to Caboose either.

Allison enjoyed the ride back home.

James wasn't sure what to do; the phone was ringing and he knew who it was. It was Jessy. She was calling because he hadn't shown up yesterday. He had blown off their date to hang out with Allison and Tucker. He didn't know if he had done it on purpose or not. He felt he had become more and more distant from her and he was sure she noticed it too.

beep!

"James. I know you are there. Pick up. … Fine. Just sit there. Just listen. I'm sorry James but I'm sick of this. We've been together for what? Two years? Most couples our age would have already moved on. You know that Kyle and Stacy are getting married?" James heard her sigh. "No. I don't think you would know. You haven't been paying attention to anything lately. Well they are getting married. They don't have a date yet but I'm going. I don't think you would go. No. You'd stay at home. What happened, James? We were good together. You were doing great in school. You were an honors student. You were on the top. What changed? You know what? I don't care. You have one chance. I think I'm being generous. You don't really deserve another chance. I love you James. No matter how much you have changed, that fact hasn't."

click!

James sat there by himself on his bed for a while. One more chance? To do what? Allison was right; he didn't love her. What should he do? Should he take that chance and make it up to her or just blow her off? Cut the line? Try going for someone else.

Here he paused. _But a guy? Am I really gay? Can I be? What would Dad say if I brought home a boy?_

Just then Caboose came in. He was holding a few letters in his hand. "These just came. For you."

James took them and waited until his father left. He then turned his attention to the letters. The top one was a letter from his school.

_"We are concerned with your performance. You used to be the top of all your classes and were ready to advanced to the next level of schooling. We would like to meet with you to talk…"_

He didn't care.

Next one.

"Allison?"

It was. It was from Allison.

Wasting no time he ripped it open. She had never sent him anything before. This had to be big.

_"James, I would like to tell you about your family. As I said before, I cannot tell you. I can't break that promise. I have found a loophole. Here it is: Go up to your attic. There you should find two large metal chests. One will say MJC. The other LLC. Look in the one marked LLC. There will be a lock on each. This is easy to get rid of. Enter your birth date into it. That should do it. You will know what you are looking for when you find it.._

_Allison._

_PS. His name is Franz."_


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: People have to tell me when I forget to update. shakes head

* * *

James frowned. _His name is Franz_. He had read about AIs in school. They were used a lot before he was born but quickly they had become obsolete. No one had them. Even the government didn't really use them any more and those they did were dumb ones; smart ones just weren't around. But that's what it sounded like she was talking about. Why would his dad have an AI in his attic? MJC? That had to stand for Micheal J. Caboose. LLC? That one he had no idea. But if he wanted to go up in the attic… Well his dad would wonder what his was doing. This sounded like he shouldn't let his dad be involved.

Not now at least.

* * *

School. A temple of boredom.

James hated it. He hated the way the girls looked at him. He hated the look the teachers gave him; "Why did you disappoint me so?" The way… Well everything! The food. The teachers. The other students. All of it. He couldn't wait until he could get out of it. He was almost eighteen. When that happened he was outta here. He didn't care what his dad said.

"There you are." James looked up to see Jessy walking towards him. "Did you get my message?"

"Yeah."

Jessy gave him a cold look. After a moment he realized if he wanted to talk about this he had to start it. "Look, I don't care what other couples that have been together the same time as us are doing. It's great Kyle and Stacy are getting married but I don't know them that well." He looked away. "I'm sorry. Really I am."

Jessy kept looking at him. "I guess that's it then." She leaned down and kissed him. It was very different from their other kisses; it was… sad. "I'll see you around the school then."

Before she left she looked back. "Good luck with the finals."

He nodded.

She disappeared into the crowd.

Finals were next week. If he failed one, that was it. No matter what happened he was screwed. He didn't really care too much.

The rest of the day went by in whirl. He had been freed from his girlfriend. Most guys he knew would have been devastated when that happened but for him it was a wake up call. It was librating.

Back home he found yet another surprise.

_James –_

_I'm going to the store to pick up some things for tonight's dinner. I'll be back in a few hours._

_Dad_

There was a time written down. 1:15. It was 1:45 right now. Just missed him. He had tons of time.

It was time to figure out who or what this Franz was.

Quickly he tossed his bag in his room and raced up to the top floor. There he snagged the flashlight, out of habit only, and dived into the attic. He had never been in there before and it smelled like musk. The air was stuffy and hot. But he didn't care. Right now he was looking for…

And there was one of them. Metal box with the letters MJC painted in faded blue. He paused there. Allison had said LLC was the one he wanted but what could be in his dad's?

He frowned at the lock and wondered if it still worked. It was one of those old data locks. Most people used dates for the passwords. _Why not? What harm is there if I get it wrong_? And he punched in his birth date. A beep. The light turned green.

"Booya."

He just had enough strength to lift the lid. Inside was …

"MJOLNIR armor?"

It was blue. He picked up the helmet and turned it around so he could see his own reflection.

James never had looked like Caboose. Not when he was a child. Not when he was ten. Not now. He figured he looked like his mother. "Guess I'm going to get that answer soon."

He set the helmet down and shifted the rest of the armor out of the way. Papers. A quick shuffle though showed he didn't care about them. The only thing vaguely interesting was a picture of his dad. Standard military picture. James never knew his dad had been in the military.

"Where is the other one?"

The second metal chest was deeper in. Looked like it hadn't been touched since it was hauled up there. It was it though; LLC in faded blue. Again he typed in his birth date and the light flashed green. Again he lifted the lid. Again he was greeted with the MJOLNIR armor. This time it was a lighter blue. But this one had pictures. Lots of pictures. And papers. It looked like everything had been dumped in this chest from the other one.

The question was still there: who was this?

James picked up a handful of pictures. His dad. Younger. Happy. Smiling. James couldn't remember seeing him like that. He was in the MJOIRN armor from the waist down. He was sitting on top of what looked like a base. He had a gun in his hands. It took James a moment before he recognized it as a Battle Rifle. Standard equipment.

Next one showed …

"Allison?"

It was. Allison and Tucker. Both younger than they were now. They were just sitting in a room talking. Both were in casual wear.

Next one showed Tucker in teal armor. Allison in black. They looked like they were arguing. This time as James turned it over there was writing on the back. _Tucker and Tex_. "Tex?"

Next one was a shot of what looked like a canyon. James checked out the back of this picture. Same writing: _Blood Gulch._

This one showed a pile of rocks. One stacked on top of each other. It looked like the dirt had been moved. On the back were the words: _His grave._ Different writing. His father's writing.

James glanced at the next picture and his breath caught in his throat. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard before taking another look. Yep. Still there. His hands shaking, he pulled out the cobalt helmet and studied his face. Then again he looked at the picture in his hand.

"We had the same face…"

The chances of it being a chance coincidence was too much.

He flipped it over. Nothing.

This one he didn't put back in the stack but put it in his pocket.

Next picture. His father, Caboose, Tex, Tucker and this new person. This time they could be themselves and whoever it was looked livid. It was a look that said _I don't like my picture being taken_. On the back it said _Blue Team stationed at Blood Gulch Outpost Alpha. And Tex._ Back to the other hand writing.

Next one was very different. Just two people. Caboose and LLC. It looked like they didn't know that anyone else was there. They were holding each other and kissing. It looked like a soft kiss. Just the lips, no tongue.

Another one. Caboose and LLC again alone. But this time LLC was looking over his shoulder at the camera. The next few were like a movie. The second one with LLC getting up. LLC walking towards the camera with Caboose looking that way. LLC reaching towards the camera. The final one was of a smashed camera. On the back in what looked like Tucker's hand writing were the words: _Church doesn't like having pictures taken of him._

LL Church.

James frowned. It didn't mean anything to him.

The reached in for another stack of photos. The first one surprised him. Caboose and Church kissing with Tex rolling her eyes. _Guess dad didn't care about kissing in public… Or making out in public_, James thought as he saw where his dad's hand was.

This was so weird. This guy looked just like him. Just older. It was a strange contrast to everyone who looked younger.

Next one. Church was sleeping. Caboose had to have taken the picture. James didn't know why but something was telling him that. A hand was stretched out and resting on Church's stomach. James had to swallow again when he realized why.

Church was pregnant. Church was pregnant with_him._

Things were starting to snap into place. Caboose had fallen in love with a man. This man gave him a child. Soon after (_how soon after?_) he had died. Caboose was still in love with him.

He dropped the pictures he had.

The sound of them falling snapped him out of it. He found that one and stuck it in his pocket along with the other one.

As he reached into the chest again his fingers touched something smooth. _His name is Franz_. He picked up the object. It was a simple square of crystal. On one side there were small metal chips. An AI chip.

Something from a news report on the 'Second Generation SPARTANs' came back to him. They not only inherited the alterations and upgrades, but also any implants.

Caboose had been a SPARTAN. Church had been a SPARTAN. James was as close to a SPARTAN as one could get.

This meant he could use Franz. He took a deep breath and pushed back his hair. Now he could feel the edge of the implants where an AI could go. Would go. James closed his eyes and slid the chip in.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Sorry for the wait. Again.

* * *

Pain was the first thing that happened. It reached out and touched every part of his mind. James was just about to pull the chip out when a cooling sensation overrode the pain. Removed it. It was like mercury and James was aware of another mind in his. He was also aware of his heart, which normally would have taken much longer to slow down, was already back to normal.

Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

"_You're just like your father._"

The voice was just like another thought. James could feel it come from inside of his head but it wasn't his voice. It was the AI. It was Franz.

"_It will take a while to get used to me being here. Don't worry. It took your father nearly two weeks._"

James took a deep breath. "You're Franz?"

"_Yes I am. Allison told you about me._"

"Yeah."

"_She wanted you to know about you family._" James nodded. "_Then I am here to tell you. Pick up that picture._" For some reason James knew exactly which picture Franz was talking about. He picked up a picture of Church leaning over a table writing something. "_Tex found a camera and Caboose never put it down. When Allison was in the military she was nicknamed 'Tex',_" Franz explained. "_This is Leonard Church. As you have already guessed, he and Caboose were lovers. They didn't start out that way. At first they hated each other. It's what happened in the end that you care about. In the end they had you. Did you know you were birthed by a male?_"

"No…"

"_He's not what you excepted. That's understandable. He inherited a gene allowing him to have you. Something that Caboose will not tell you is that you have that gene too. If Church was around he would have told you about it._"

"Why didn't he tell me about it?"

"_He thought that if you knew, you'd try to become pregnant._"

"Is that a problem?"

"_Yes. If that gene is activated, if you become pregnant, if you carry the child to term, you will die. That's the way it works. If you create life, you must also take one. Your dad is afraid of losing you._"

"How do you know that?"

"_I looked at your memories of him and use that with my knowledge of him._"

James groaned. "You looked at my memories? How deep can you go?"

"_There is no barrier I can't over come. However you don't have to worry; I'm not telling anyone. By the way, it seems that your father has come home early…_"

And then James heard it. A car coming up the drive.

"_Leave things as they are here. We'll be back._"

Wasting no time James made his way out of the attic and ran down the stairs. "_I don't think you need me to remind you but don't tell your father about me. He will be less than pleased if he found out anyone had told you about me. Or him._"

He got to his room just in time; his dad walked though the front door. "James?"

"Yeah?"

"Come down and help with the groceries!"

"'Kay!" James paused only long enough to throw the pictures of Church into his dresser.

* * *

James was in class. It was math and he didn't like it. He was in the same situation as he was before; ace the final or fail. He didn't really have a lot of hope.

"_Correction: you didn't have a lot of hope. Now you do._"

He sighed and tried to make sense of the strange symbols on the paper before him. In reality they were not strange at all; they were simple numbers but he just couldn't figure out how they were connected.

"_Fibonacci._"

The word meant nothing to James.

"_Not a word, a name. He's famous for this sequence of numbers._" James laughed to himself;_What a thing to be famous for…._

"_It works like this: add the first two numbers. What do you get?_"

One plus one was two. Two was the next number in the sequence.

"_Now add that answer with the one before it._"

Two plus one equaled three. Three was the next number in the sequence.

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89…

But how did one get the first number? Where did one come from?

"_What is the number before it?_"

James frowned. Zero came before one… "_Exactly. Zero plus one is…_" And it clicked.

The bell rang sometime later but James didn't quite want to leave. If it had been any other teacher he would have stayed but Ms. Jackson was mean. No one liked her. She had been teaching for well over thirty years and she didn't allow any new ideas in her class.

Outside he noticed a few changes, about himself. His hearing had always been better than most but now it was amazing; he could hear Stacy and Kyle yelling at each other from the gym. The gym was about two blocks a way. His sight was improved too; the colors were richer and lines were shaper.

"Did you do this?"

"_You could say that. All I did was enhance what you already had. You weren't using everything you could. I fixed that._"

"It's amazing."

Even his sense of smell had been enhanced. Suddenly he could smell the hot dogs people around him were eating. The smell of ketchup filled his nose as did hot sauce, chocolate, candy, and … blood?


	6. Chapter 6

The tangy sent was coming from the gym. He did stop and think before he started to make his way there. He did realize that people hurt themselves a lot in the gym and the sight of blood there wasn't uncommon. But something was telling him this blood had nothing to do with a slip. Soon he could hear voices.

"Not so tough now are you? Huh?!"

"Please…"

James heard a hand connect with flesh and someone become breathless.

"Come on. Go easy on him. He's just a fairy."

Another hit was dealt.

"What are you going to do? Cry?"

James could tell that whoever was on the receiving end of the cutting words had already started to cry. He could smell the tears under the blood.

"Oh look. The fairy's crying."

This time James could hear 'the fairy' cry out in pain when the next blow hit.

James pushed the door open. Three boys were beating on one other. One of the boys was very large. James recognized this large boy as a starter on the football team. He was known for sitting out about half the game for excess violence. Last game he almost killed someone. The other two were no namers.

Their prey had been pushed against the wall. It looked like the boy's nose was broken; blood was flowing freely from the injury. His arm might have been broken as well.

The quarter back looked up and took a step toward James. "What do we have here?"

One of the no namers laughed. "You want a turn?"

The other no namer smiled. "I'd be careful if I were you. Aaron here is a Second Gen SPARTAN."

Aaron took another step closer. "You don't look like you could survive much of a beating."

"Maybe we should dealing with him first…"

Aaron cracked his knuckles. "Maybe we should."

The blow came fast. So fast James knew what the second no namer said was true; Aaron had to have had a parent in the SPARTAN project because that blow came far too fast to come from a normal human. But he only had one parent who was a SPARTAN and it looked like a SPARTAN I. James on the other hand had both parents in the SPARTAN III program. To James, that blow came at a maddenly slow pace. With ease, James reached out and caught his opponent's fist in his hand.

The effect was instant.

Aaron looked dumbfounded. Looked like James was the first person to be cool headed when attacked.

"What are you?"

James didn't answer. Instead he straightened his arm out and punched the larger boy in the face. He felt his nose crush under the blow. Aaron took two steps back and James twisted Aaron's hand in his; Aaron screamed as his arm was ripped from its socket.

Only then did James let Aaron go.

"You might want to have that looked at."

Aaron looked up, eyes scared, and ran. His two no namers fallowed after him.

James watched them go before turning his attention to 'the fairy'.

He looked even more scared than Aaron. At the very least he was more of a mess. When James took a step closer, he took a step a way.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to make sure you're okay."

James took another step closer and this time the boy didn't move away. Within another few steps James was standing in front of the bleeding boy. He knelt down and touched the boy's face.

"What's your name?"

For a moment James thought he wasn't going to answer. "… Vince."

James smiled and placed his other hand on Vince's face. Carefully he shifted Vince's head so James could get different look at the nose. "Do they do that to you a lot?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Vince took his head out of James' hands.

"Sorry. Look I don't need to know; just curious."

The next words that came from Vince's mouth were so soft if James hadn't had the parents he had he would never have heard them. "They don't like me because I'm gay."

"Seems like a stupid reason to not like someone." James stood and went to the other side of the room to get some paper towels. He paused by the water fountain and wet them before sitting back down with Vince. He slid his left hand under Vince's chin and slowly started to clean off the blood. "Have you ever gone to the teachers about them?"

"No… Aaron said he'd kill me if I ever told. He's a Second Gen so I'm sure he could if he wanted too." Vince took his head out of James' hand and frowned. "But… You are faster than he is. I mean… He's right. What are you?"


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Dear Giant Squid. Sorry. I forgot about this. And I could have sworn I had updated this past only six chapters. Looks like I was wrong. Well here's my atonement: 11 pages.

* * *

_A freak. Something other than a human._

"_Your parents were human. Are human. They just happen to be faster and stronger._"

"A Second Generation SPARTAN has one parent as a SPARTAN I or III. Aaron's parent must have been from a I. My dad was a III."

Vince's eyes went wide. "Wow…" He let James take his chin again and a few moments later his face was no longer blood covered. "I didn't know that III's were so much more powerful than I's."

"Neither did I. Aaron's the first Second Gen I've fought." James set down the bloody paper and slowly reached out for Vince's arm. Vince shied away. "Is it broken?"

"I think so."

"Anything else damaged?"

"I'm not sure."

"Then let's get you to the Office."

"No!"

James frowned. "Why?"

"Then my dad is going to wonder why I get beat up and he's going to find out about me and then…"

James nodded. "Okay. Where do you want to go then?"

"I don't know." Vince was crying again. It made sense seeing as his father was not going to be happy when he found out that his son was gay, Vince was most likely going to send some time at the hospital recovering from injuries that he got because he was gay, and Aaron would most likely come back and finish him off later.

"Well, I'm not going to leave you here bleeding."

Vince smiled a little.

"_Offer to take him to your house. It's safe there. Your father will not be home until tomorrow._"

Since when did James' dad work late?

"_A technical issue has arisen that needs his attention._" Franz had messed up the computers in a way that only Caboose could fix them.

_Thank you, Franz._

"_Any time._"

"You could come to my place. I could clean you up properly there. I know how to sent bones fairly well. If you wanted you could spend the night. Stay a way from home for a while."

This seemed to be the right thing to say. Vince's smile brightened. "I'd love that."

James helped Vince up.

"Do you have anything here you need?"

Vince shook his head. "That makes things much easier. Come on. It's not too far a way."

About ten minutes later, Vince was laying on the couch and James was putting ice into a rag.

"Here, put this on that nose." James handed Vince the ice.

"Thanks."

James pulled up a chair and sat down next to Vince's broken arm. It seemed to be a clean break, easily set. He glanced up at Vince, who was holding the ice on his swollen nose and not looking at him. Quickly James placed his hands on Vince's wrist and upper arm and pulled the bones straight. Vince shrieked.

"Don't move your arm. It's set but it still needs to be wrapped up."

James leaned over and picked up the rags he had pulled out. As he bandaged Vince's newly set arm, Franz asked him, "_Why did you tell him about your dad? You just found out and are still learning everything that you can do._"

_I don't know. It just felt right. Something told me he needed to hear it._

"_You didn't tell him about Church._"

_Would you have?_

Franz smiled but otherwise remained silent.

"There ya go. Your arm should be good until it heals."

Vince took off the ice and looked at his arm. "Thanks." Then he blushed. "James, I'm sorry. I lied to you earlier. I didn't want to go home because of my dad; he's not my dad. He's my step dad. And a SPARTAN I. He thinks I should be a Second Gen and should have his discipline and everything. Ever since Aaron started to beat me I've started to avoid home because if he ever saw me like this…"

James reached out and stroked Vince's forehead. "It's alright. I'll talk to my dad when he gets home; see if you can stay."

The phone rang. James smiled and got up.

"Hello?"

"James, it's dad. Something happened with the computers here. I'm going to have to be here late. Maybe I'll have to spend the night. I'll try to get home at some point before work tomorrow."

"Alright."

"You'll be okay by yourself?"

"I always am."

"Alright. Talk to you later then. Bye."

"Bye."

*click*

James went back to the living room and leaned against the door way. "Do you need something to eat?"

"Sure."

"How does spaghetti sound?"

"Wonderful."

James smiled. "I'll start making it." He went to the kitchen and started to boil water. When he got back, Vince was asleep.

"_His father will want to know where he is. So will his mother._"

James knew he should have Vince call them but not now. Not yet. For now he'd let the injured boy sleep. He fetched an extra blanket and laid it over Vince's frame. Before James left his side, he really looked at Vince. Under those bruises and the swelling, Vince was very good looking. His skin was tanned and his hair was bleached. It didn't scream out that he was gay. It just was like that.

James smiled before checking the water.

"_Interesting._"

"What?"

"_Your bodies reaction when you are around or think of Vince._"

"What do you mean?"

"_Your heart rate almost doubles. Do you like him?_"

James' face went slightly red.

"_You don't need to answer._"

"Yeah. You already know the answer to that."

Franz paused before asking, "_Why him? You have forced down all emotions that hinted your feelings for anyone, male or female, for years. Why now?_"

"We are both outcasts. My father will never tell me about where I came from. Vince will never be accepted where he comes from." James paused before shaking his head. "So what? It doesn't mean anything."

"_Not true. When someone has this effect on another it means that someone has some kind of feelings for said someone._"

_Not to self: don't argue with an AI._

"Feelings doesn't mean love."

James knew he had said the wrong thing. "_Very true but I never said love now did I?_"

James could feel his face grow hot and he had no idea if it was because of the boiling water he was standing over or not. Needing something to do, he quickly poured in a little too much olive oil into the water and threw in some noodles. He turned and pulled out two bowls and two forks. He then hopped up and down until the noodles were done. As he poured the water out Franz made one more comment.

"_I just don't want you to miss an opportunity to find someone because you misread the signs._"

James paused, with two bowls filled with steaming pasta. He didn't know to reply to that statement. So he said the first thing that came into his head. "Thanks Franz." As he made his way back to the living room and Vince, he looked at the clock; it was five. James frowned. It didn't feel like five.

James sat down and placed his two bowls of pasta on the floor before nudging Vince who woke easily. "Is that food I smell?"

"Yep," James said and handed him a bowl. "Sleep well?"

"Very." He inhaled the steam still rising from the spaghetti and smiled before frowning a little. "I guess after this I'd better call my dad."

Despite the fact they ate in silence it late before the bowls were empty and James got the phone for Vince.

James left the room and started to clean up the kitchen but even from that far away he could still hear everything that was said in the conversation.

Five rings. "Hello?" The voice was rough.

"Hi dad. It's me Vince."

"Where have you been?" Roughness became anger.

"I went over to a friend's house. I forgot to call."

James could hear Vince's dad grit his teeth. "So I noticed. Where am I picking you up?"

Vince hesitated and James took his opportunity. "Stay the night, Vince. It's already pretty late. We can get you home in the morning." It was late, almost 8:30; they had stalled as much as they could before Vince had to call.

"If I stay the night, I can get a ride tomorrow."

There was a lengthy pause on both ends.

"Okay."

James heard Vince let go a breath neither of them knew he was holding. "Thanks."

James finished up in the kitchen and went back into the living room.

Vince looked up when he came in. "How much of that did you hear?"

"All of it."

"Both sides?" James nodded. "Wow. Thanks by the way. I really don't want to go back home."

James noticed how Vince didn't just mean tonight; he never wanted to go home again. Who knows? Maybe he wouldn't have to.

"_Told you you liked him._"

Franz was right. James didn't know if it was love or lust or the desire to simply protect the boy but James did have something for the broken boy before him.

Vince handed James the phone and James took it, an idea forming in his head.

"Do you game?"

"Like video game?"

"Yeah."

Vince nodded. "But I'm not very good; dad doesn't like them."

"I wanna show you something." They got up and James led Vince up to the top floor. This was were the attic was but it was also were James kept all his consoles.

In the year 2532 the ONI had gone public with the SPARTAN II's. The SPARTAN III's, what James' parents had been, was announced in 2584 and just six years later the SPARTAN IV's were on the battlefield. Sometime in those six years, someone noticed that video games improved reflexes more than any other exercise. 2593 saw a large boom in video games. Maybe it was because Caboose had been trained using them or maybe he just liked them; either way he had bought many consoles and games for his son, who had turned the upstairs guest room into a video game haven. Some of the games or consoles were harder to find than others.

Vince had gone bug eyed when he first stepped into the room. "Where did you get all of these?"

"My dad got most of them for me. A few I had to get."

"Which ones?"

"A few of the older ones." James pointed to a white slender box. "That's an Xbox 360. Cost $2,000. The one under it is the original Xbox. That was another $1,980. One next to those is the PlayStantion 2."

"Where did you get that did of money?"

James paused. "No idea."

Vince laughed. "Geeze. There are what? Almost six hundred years old! Do they still work?"

"Do they still--? Of course they work. Took me a month to fix the PS2 but the Xbox's worked like new when I got them."

"Got games for them?"

"Yep."

James could see a fire in Vince's eyes that had never been there before. "Can we play?"

James grinned as Franz's voice sounded in his head. "_I knew you liked boys with a spark in them._"

"Sure. There's a pile over there. Just be really careful with your arm. I don't want to set it again."

Vince seemed to have forgotten how he had come to this place and the injuries he had sustained. He nodded and carefully started to fish through the games. Every once in awhile he would stop and make a comment about the collection. Sometimes he'd pause and look at the back of a game before putting it down. James watched him without a comment until Vince pulled out a game he had almost forgot he had.

Vince stared at the cover and then shot James a look. "You have _this_?"

James shrugged. "Yeah. It's a really good game. Harder than it looks."

Vince flipped the case around to look at the back.

"Wanna try it?"

Still eyeing the back of it Vince said, "I thought only perverts had this game."

"The game play is fun and the gifting is a challenge. Not my fault all the characters are half naked girls. So… Wanna try it?"

Vince seemed unsure.

James had the strange urge to say _If you don't like it you can do what you want with me including tie me up and have your naughty way with me_ but felt it might make Vince crawl back into his shell he had just come out from.

There was a long pause before either boy moved. Vince shrugged and passed the game to James with his good arm. James took it and placed it into the Xbox. There was a rumbling sound then the Xbox logo showed on the TV James turned on. Next there was a long screen that threatened the lives and health of the those who tried to some how steal the game. Next a sequence for Team Ninja showed up with waves and clouds. Finally the title screen appeared.

Vince blushed. "I can't believe you have this…"

James smiled. "Why? You are the one who wanted to play it," he said and handed Vince a controller. "Just start a new game."

Vince studied the controller before starting a new game. He frowned at the eight girls in front of him.

"I'd go with Helena. She's well balanced and Lisa likes her enough not to leave in two days."

Vince nodded slowly and selected the French blond. After the screen finished loading he blinked at the black woman stretched out on a pool side chair dressed in a bikini. "Why are they speaking Japanese? Helena's French and Lisa's American."

James laughed. "I know. It's weird. And Hitomi, whose German, and Lei Fang, who's Chinese, and Christie, who's English, all speak it. Quite well too." He shook he head and sat down next to Vince.

The next half an hour was used by James to show Vince the finer points of the game and soon Vince felt very confident in his virtual volleyball skills. After an hour of playing he challenged James to a one on one or two on two match of seven points. James shrugged and a smirk played about his lips as he accepted.

Vince saved and quite the game and selected the Exhibition mode for two players.

"You can pick whom ever you would like however I would recommend Helena and Lisa just because you are used to how they work together."

Vince gave him a look. "And how do I know that you aren't trying to mess up my chances?"

James smiled even wider. "All I am trying to do is give a novice as much help as I can before pounding said novice's players into the ground. If you don't want it…"

Vince selected Helena and Lisa.

James picked Christie and Hitomi, explaining why. "Christie has control over the ball but also has power. All in all she's a well rounded player, as is Lisa. Hitomi is one of two power houses, the other being Tina. What makes Hitomi the better choice as an AI controlled character is her high defense. Meaning she can be in the back and catch the ball while Tina needs to be in the front or she'll lose the ball."

'_Sounds like this AI has trouble… Maybe I could fix that._'

_Don't touch these girls, Franz. I like them how they are._

'_Half naked?_'

_No and you know that quiet well._

Vince shook his head. "You play this game too much…"

"Yes but remember it's you who thinks you can defeat me after barely two hours of playing."

After thirty seconds Vince realized he was heavily out skilled. The game had given him the ball and he had preformed a perfect jump serve only to have it catch easily by Christie who passed it to Hitomi in the back. The German set up a spike that Christie used to perfection. She hovered in mid air for a long moment and Vince thought she would cause the ball to hit the net but nope; Christie hit it and it went straight through the hole in the middle of Vince's girls.

The game didn't last too much longer. By the end of it Vince had gained a ton of great tips that came only from a person who played over seven hundred hours.

James turned to Vince and sighed. "You still have a great deal to learn in the arts of volleyball my young Padawan."

"_Padawan_?!"

James grinned. "In that case I get to show you something. C'here." He stood up and pulled Vince by his good arm, leading him to a side room. A large TV was set up along with a large number of DVDs, something else that had long been replaced.

"We are going to watch Star Wars and there is nothing you can say about it," the Second Generation SPARTAN said bending over to grab a hand of DVDs.

Vince found himself staring at James' butt and unable to move his eyes away from the sight. He felt a twitch in his pants and was grateful when James straightened up again. "What are they about?" he asked hoping James wouldn't notice the heat in his cheeks.

"You will like them. I'm sure of it." As he placed a DVD in the player he paused. "Hm."

"What?"

"I just realized that these movies remind me of now." James frowned and eyed the back of the box. "People with abilities that few have. Abilities that can win wars."

Vince knew he was talking about the SPARTANS. "Still want to watch them?"

James looked up. "You kiddin'? These are classics. Of course I still want to watch them."

And they sat down on the couch placed on the other side of the room.

* * *

Caboose sighed heavily as he stared at the screen before him. He looked at his watch and sighed again. It was already three am. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. Just a few more hours and this problem would be over. In fact he wasn't too sure on what it problem was. It was almost like an outside force was letting something else go wrong when ever he fixed it.

He rubbed his eyes as the echo of foot falls drifted towards him. He just stared at the screen, waiting for Dave to finish making his way to his office.

Caboose turned around and sighed at the sight of Dave. He was thin and a little short with reddish hair showing though his bandana. He was holding a mug of coffee in his hand.

They just stared at each other for a moment. "Here. You look like you could use this," Dave said and handed Caboose the mug.

"Thanks."

"How's it coming?"

"I have no idea. Every time I fix something something else shows up. I don't get it." He cast the screen a hateful look. "It's late. I think I'm going to call it quits for tonight. See if I have any better luck tomorrow."

Dave nodded. "Sounds like a wise move to me. This is reminding me of a few years ago, back when we still used AIs, you know. One of them got pissed off and started to make things just happen. It wasn't very fun to try to clean up. Took over a week."

Caboose nodded slowly, a frown marring his features. "Yeah… Thanks for the coffee again. I want to check something really quickly then I'm heading home."

"Okay. Comin' into work tomorrow?"

"Yep. Need to finish this up."

Dave nodded and left.

Caboose turned back to the screen and quickly checked AI connections. There was one shown but it had to have been tampered with. It claimed the last time an AI logged in was four years ago. This wasn't true; the story Dave had told was the last time they ever had AIs and that was over six years ago. If an AI had logged on it would be able to cover its tracks so why make leave false ones? Caboose had no idea. All he knew was there was no way any of their old AIs would be able to do such a feat. There were only two that he knew of that could. One had been deleted after a long chase. The other… The other was safely locked up in his attic. Right? _Right?!_

What if he wasn't? He would be able to get into this system from anywhere, he wouldn't even need access to a computer.

He closed his eyes. _Please still be locked up…_

His eyes sprang open as a soft purple glow shone from the screen.


	8. Chapter 8

James woke up to a head moving on his chest. He looked down and saw Vince sleeping on top of him, using said chest as a pillow. He smiled. It was amazing how a person looked when they were not faced with their stress.

He paused to think about that; for such a sweet person, Vince had a great deal of stress in his life. He had a father who wanted him to be someone he would never be. Now that James thought about it he had no idea what kind of mother Vince had or even if he had one. He was being constantly beat up to the point of needing hospitalization.

No more. It would not happen again. James would make sure Vince would never be harmed again. Vince was now his to protect.

James leaned forward and kissed Vince's blond hair softly.

So softly, James almost didn't hear himself he whispered, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you again. I promise."

* * *

"So he knows."

"_Yes. Are you relieved?_"

"I'm not sure. I'm not sure I ever wanted him to know."

"_To hide such a thing would not be good for either of you. I know you are still in pain, Caboose but he is gone and is not coming back._"

So sure about that are we Franz?

"I know but it just hurts to think about him, to see him in James. I can't lose James."

Light was coming into the room in the form of a sliver that cast itself onto the desk, reflecting off of papers scattered over the surface. Everything had a purple tinge to it. Franz, the Artificial Intelligence crafted for a program long gone, stood tall as he looked at a member of a heavily celebrated program. The SPARTAN was in pain; this anyone could see.

Caboose pulled at his blond hair a little before meeting the gaze of the AI. "Franz, I need you to help me. I can't do this without your guidance."

Franz didn't say anything for a long moment.

You once told me never to keep things from him; it would be hypocritical of you to keep this from him.

"_Caboose, I will not always be here. An AI has a life span of 7 years. I am only here today because I have just spent the last seventeen dormant. I can not always be here. You will need to learn how to get along without me. Find a way how to talk to James; he will listen._"

Caboose's vision got a little blurry as his eyes filled with tears. He nodded. _Everyone around me is going to die._

It's a part of life, Caboose. By now I would think you would have gotten used to it.

"I can't talk to James. We never have been on good terms and now I'm afraid that we never will be."

"_He wants you to listen. He wants to listen. He still needs you. Tell him otherwise you will lose him forever._"

Yeah, just like you almost lost me forever, remember?

"_Just try it. Please._"

Caboose nodded. "Okay."

"_Remember about Scott._"

"Shit."

What?

"Yeah, I forgot about him." Caboose looked at the calendar and sighed. "Tomorrow. Damn it. I wish I had more time."

I wanted more time too, remember?

"_You're not getting more time._"

Caboose nodded again. "I'm going home. I need to talk to James before tomorrow."

"_About?_"

"Scott."

"_And?_"

"…Him."

Sounds fun.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Dave, it's me, Michael."

"Hey, man what's going on? I thought you were leaving."

"I am. I just forgot something: I can't come back in tomorrow. Someone's going to show up and I have to be home. Can you make sure I got everything fixed? I think I got everything but it would be a shame if no one checked and I was wrong."

"Oh yeah. I can do that. Good luck tomorrow; sounds like you are going to need it."

"Thanks. See ya."

"See ya."

* * *

Caboose hung up the phone and stared at the road ahead of him. _Guess I'd better get back soon. Need to talk to James before tomorrow._

James woke up with a start a few hours later to the sound of a car pulling into the drive. Carefully, so not to wake Vince, he got up and made his way downstairs.

"What is dad doing home?"

"_Someone is coming over in the morning and your dad wants to talk to you about him before hand._"

"You made him come home early?"

"_Yes. You two need to talk._"

James groaned and slowly got up. He gave a quick look back at the sleeping Vince before making his way downstairs.

Caboose was locking the door when James found him. "We need to talk," he said with out even looking up.

"What about?"

Caboose took a very deep breath and turned around, looking James in the eyes. "Church. It's way past time you know about him. Franz may have told you a little but not enough. Sit."

James made his way to a chair and sat down. The chair was really old but still a good one. It was the upholstery that was on its way to the junkyard. It was very threadbare in places making it hard to see the pattern of flowers and leaves. It was funny; this was a habit James had whenever he was faced with something he didn't completely understand. Focus on the small things; don't look at the big picture.

Caboose sat down on the couch across from James. "What do you know about Church?"

James shook his head. "Not much."

Caboose's lips formed a sad smile. "I always changed the subject away from him. I hoped I would never have to talk about him ever again but now it's beginning to be clear I should have been telling you about him from the beginning.

"He was in Blood Gulch long before I got there and after the Captain died Church took over as the Blue team's leader there. He had a hard time getting along with anyone. When I got there it was fairly obvious Tucker and he never were on good terms and our relationship wasn't very different. Even though he treated me like dirt I kept trying to get on his good side; I needed to be friends with him.

"I got my wish after he had died." Caboose paused here. "There are going to be parts in this story you are not going to understand. There are parts in this story no one understands."

"After a round of friendly fire, Church was killed. This didn't stop him from coming back. He was a hard ass and would never let something as trivial as death stop him."

You got that right.

"He came back and continued to lead us, myself, Tucker, and Allison. Tex. She was Tex when she was still in the killing business. She was part of a highly trained team that were given AIs to help them be faster and stronger. Hers was an evil one named Omega. The two of them were known as the O'Malley team." Caboose paused to see if this needed more explanation but James nodded, signaling him to continue. "They were the best of the best. And lucky for us, she used to date Church. She was almost nice until Omega left her then she really was nice. It was kinda nice to have someone who had the power to keep the group going even through the things that happened.

"Then one night we couldn't find Church. It was raining so hard it soaked though my armor. I found him but it was so strange; he was alive. He was back in his old body and …." Caboose seemed lost for words.

"How?"

"No idea. No one knows. I got him back to the base. He was slightly beaten up but in the end alright. I think the jolt of coming back from the dead brought things into perspective. He wasn't as cruel as he was before. He seemed to realize that this might be his last chance to get things done. And soon after he was back at the base he and I started a relationship together."

Here Caboose paused to collect himself before continuing. "A few months after we started our relationship Church got sick. Tex said it was just the flu. Later we found out it was morning sickness. Church was pregnant with you at that point. He wouldn't tell anyone for a really long time. I was so worried about him before he told me. Then he did and it was wonderful."

"How? How could he…"

"I asked Tex the same question. It's in his genes. It's in your genes. It's the way the world is for you." Caboose closed his eyes and James could see tears form. "But after Church had you, he died. No one in his family has ever given birth and survived."

James looked down, trying to put this all together with what he already knew.

Church was the person who gave birth to him. This was caused by a gene that he, James, had too.

Church died because of this gene. James could die because of the same gene.

It wasn't sinking in. Maybe it was a good thing, for the moment at least.

"_It will sink in later._"

But there was one thing that didn't make sense.

"Where did Franz come into all this?"

Caboose opened his eyes and said, "Church was part of the same program that Tex was in. Franz was given to him to help his temper as well as serve as a normal functioning AI."

"Don't AIs have a seven year life span?"

"_Yes. I spent several years with Church during and after the program._"

James nodded. "And tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, Church's father is planning on visiting us. You look exactly like Church; he'll know what happened to his son as soon as he sees you."

James shifted uncomfortably. "Is this a bad thing?"

"It could be."

James nodded. "I got something to tell you. It might cause some trouble tomorrow." Caboose lift his eyebrow. Suddenly unsure, James quickly stumbled forward. "He was getting hurt; beaten up by three guys. I couldn't leave him in the gym. I really didn't have much choice in the matter. I had to bring him home with me."

Caboose groaned softly. "Okay. What's his name?"

"Vince. He's upstairs asleep."

"Alright. Let's just get him back home before _he_ shows up." James did not have to ask who _he_ was. "And now let's get you to bed. I have a feeling you may need as much strength as you can get for tomorrow."

* * *

The next morning James woke up early. Very early. It was still dark when he woke up. He had started this as a habit; getting up before the sun and watching the sun rise. It cleared his head and now he seemed to need it more than ever. His grandfather was going to be here in a few hours to ask his father about the whereabouts of his _other_ father. Damn this was getting confusing. Sadly, first thing was first.

James went up the stairs and smiled at the still sleeping form of Vince. As much as he didn't want him to, Vince had to go home.

"Hey, Vince…"

"Hm?"

"It's eight. You should be getting home."

Vince pressed his face into a pillow and groaned. He looked up and sighed. "So I'll see you on Monday?"

"Of course." James' happiness that Vince wanted to see him again was slightly marred by a small event that was taking place that week: finals.

Vince got up slowly and together they went down stairs. By then Caboose was already up and dressed. He didn't drink coffee to wake up in the mornings; instead he rolled off his bed. Once James asked about this and all he got as an answer was "It works for Allison."

Caboose looked up from the paper as they came in. This was something that he had to learn; as a SPARTAN he could hear James and Vince talking three stories up so timing the act of looking up from the newspaper was a talent that without earned him strange looks.

"You must be Vince." Caboose held out a hand which Vince took timidly. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He took his hand back and said, "Whenever you're ready I'll give you a ride home."

"Thanks." James could tell Vince was worried about Caboose being a SPARTAN, like his step-father.

Caboose eyed him and added, "How's your arm?"

"Fine. I keep forgetting it's broken. James did a really good job at setting it."

James felt his face get warm. Praise.

"Help your self to some food. James, if you would…?"

James nodded and round up making himself and Vince pancakes before Caboose drove him back home.

The drive to Vince's house wasn't very fun. Tension was high between James and Caboose; they still had to deal with Scott.

As they pulled into their driveway, Caboose glanced at James. "I need to apologize. I shouldn't have been so distant. You're a good kid and I should have been there for you every step of the way. It's just been hard recently. You really look just like him and it hurts to see him again."

James nodded and gave his father a smile. "I know. I'm surprised really that … I don't know. I'm just surprised."

Caboose let out a small chuckle. "Me too. Come on." And he got out of the car and started to walk back to the house. James took a deep breath before following.

When James got into the kitchen he saw it was only nine; they could still have time before Scott showed up.

"_You are worried."_

"Should I not be?"

"Is there reason to be worried?"

"Franz, do you know this guy?"

"_No. But neither do you. Why are you so … afraid?"_ It was as much as question about the term as anything else.

"I'm not sure."

"He's here."

"What?"

He leaned out of the window to see. It was true. A car was parked in front of the house that hadn't been there before.

Suddenly everything hit James. All of it. His knees gave out and he just missed hitting the sill. Sweat started to pour down his face.

"What do I do?" He pulled his legs to himself and tried to fight the urge to throw up. "I can't meet him. I'm not ready to. Fuck! It's too much." His heart was trying to fight its way out of his chest and the sound of it was filling his ears.

"_Well that was bound to happen at some point. However you did choose to pick the worst time possible."_ Franz frowned and called out, "_Caboose!_"

Caboose was there in a second and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I can't meet him. Too much. It's all just too much for me. Not right now. Not—"

He laid his hands on his son's shoulders and said calmly, "You don't have to. You can stay in your room. Come on." And together, Caboose holding all of James' weight, they reached James' room. "I'll get you when he leaves."

Caboose dashed down the stairs as the knock on the door came. He took a deep breath and went to answer it.

On the other side of the door was a man in civilian clothing. He looked tired and well used. He had the same jaw as his son.

"You must be Scott."

The man nodded and said, "You are Michael J. Caboose."

Caboose stood aside and Scott came in. The walked to the living room together and Caboose offered a chair to Scott who took it.

Heavy silence followed.

"How did you find it?"

"Excuse me?" Caboose asked, frowning. "What are you talking about?"

"That thing. That abomination my son left behind for me to clean up." Scott's voice was suddenly filled with fury and it was clear that temper Church had ran in the family. "How did you find it? Was it sent there like it was human?"

"I'm sorry but I don't know—"

"My son. I know what happened to my son. He died for the UNSC years ago. He gave his life and the result of that is still running around as if it were him." Scott looked away, as if he had just noticed what he was saying. "I'm sorry. But when I heard that it had … reproduced, I didn't know what to do."

Caboose was silent.

"Look, kid, my son, Leonard, has been dead for over twenty years but because of this and that, I haven't been able to give him the peace he deserves. Just tell me what happened to it after the war ended, please."

Caboose ignored but filed Scott's comments away and said, "Leonard was at Blood Gulch before I was. He didn't make it through the end of the war."

Scott laughed. "He wasn't alive when it started."

"I met a Blue SPARTAN solider named Leonard L. Church. He was our sniper and took over as the leader of our squad. He got sick just before the war ended and died from complications."

Scott stood up. "Bullshit! I know what happened. They just refused to tell me for seventeen years! That thing got pregnant and you have the brat!"

"James is no—"

"How did it happen? How did it happen?"

Caboose growled and stood up to stand eye to eye with Scott. "Do you want to know how much your son liked it when I licked the underside of his chin? You want to know how it happened but I don't know if it was the time we were against the tree or—"

"Fuck you, you fucking freak! You are the one who –"

"Get out of my house. Leave me alone. Leave James alone. Now."

Caboose and Scott locked eyes before the older man backed down. "Fine. I'll get going. Just remember, those things don't stay dead for too long."

You got that right.

And Scott left.

Caboose sighed and closed the door, thinking. What on Earth did Scott mean by any of his talk? How could Church have died twenty years ago, years before he joined the SPARTAN forces, and have been at Blood Gulch?

Those things don't stay dead for too long.

What did that mean?

He shook his head and groaned. "Long day. Not over yet." And he headed upstairs to face his hysterical son. By the time he got to James' room, the kid had calmed down a considerable amount but it was clear he could go off again at the wrong move. Caboose sighed and sat down next to James, who was holding his knees as if they were a lifeline. "What's wrong?"

"Is he gone?"

"Scott has left. I have told him to leave both of us alone."

"Good." The word came so softly that if Caboose had lacked his SPARTAN hearing, he could not have caught it.

"Talk to me," he said, brushing some hair away of James' ear.

"Church. It doesn't add up. When I meet Vince he asked if I was a freak –"

"_And I told you that you are not a freak,_" Franz interjected.

"And it's true."

Caboose, whose hackles had just gone down raised again, placed his hand on the back of James' head. "Why do you think that?"

"What sort of normal person's mom is a guy who was dead when it all happened? And I'm just like him. It's all some kind of joke. A big mistake—"

Caboose grabbed his shoulders and pulled him close. "There was never a mistake. You were never a mistake. If Church was here, he'd tell you the same thing."

"I'm a freak," he said, tears choking his voice.

"No, just different. You are amazing. You are everything I could have asked for."

James looked up and said, "If you never had me, you still would have had him."

Old wounds opened up and bleed inside of Caboose but he pushed the lose down and replied, voice stern, "But I know I got the better part of the deal."

James pulled away violently and shouted, "You wouldn't look at me because I look like him! You want him back and are willing to trade me for him."

"If that was true, I'd have told Scott to take you."

"Then why didn't you?"

Caboose, voice shaking now, said, with natural conviction, "Because I can't lose you! Even when I didn't look at you, knowing you were there, here, kept me alive."

"Only because he wasn't here."

"James, when Church died, I was broken. I still am. But when Tex handed you to me and I held you for the first time, I felt myself start to heal. After Church, I had no idea what I was going to do. You gave me a purpose. Nothing else matters to me but you." Caboose closed his eyes again and sighed. "I love you more than I love anything else and sometimes that terrifies me."

James was still looking scared and hurt but also calmer. "But I'm a freak."

"Yeah," Caboose said, looking at him again. "But I helped make you so I don't care."

They both sat next to each other in silence for ages. Not even touching. Just letting their hearts beat normally in their chests and breathing at normal rates.

"I'm hungry," Caboose said. "You want anything?"

When James was silent, Franz stepped in. _"Seeing how you haven't eaten in three hours, you really should be hungry. What are you making?_ " he asked Caboose.

"I was thinking of going out. Maybe getting Vinnie's. You coming?"

James nodded.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: So still updating this. I hope people are still enjoying it. It got long and very rambly and started to suck then I found plot. Then it became this. You can tell me if it is better.

* * *

The next day was the last day of school and it was all parties and celebration. Teachers ignored their students as they drew on the walls and yelled to one another across the yard. James saw Vince and that was more than enough for him. Suddenly he was cheering as the bell rang with everyone else.

James' day was happy and uneventful until he returned to the school grounds after seven that evening to retrieve a book he had forgotten. He reached his locker and was starting to input his combo when someone called to him.

"James?"

He stopped and looked down the hall at the figure at the other end of the hall.

"James, we need to talk."

"Do I know you?" he called.

The figure got closer, a crowbar coming into focus, and replied, "No, but I know you. You are what that _thing_ made. Your father, Michael, and I talked the other day. Now it's time for us to talk." Scott's face was becoming clearer and he looked insane. Furious beyond comprehension.

"There's nothing for us to talk about." What the hell was this guy doing with a fucking crowbar? As Scott moved closer, James moved farther away. "Why are you here?"

Scott's pace picked up and something snapped in James and he took off. Scott followed slowly gaining ground with each step.

"Franz!"

"_Hold on. The doors are locked up a head. You are not going to be able to just walk off this campus._"

"What! Why not?"

"Scott must have locked them before he confronted you."

"Why would he do that?" James asked as he crawled through a floor vent into a classroom.

"I don't know. Just stay away from him. I'll give you directions. They may seem round about but trust me."

He stood up and looked around the hallway.

"Keep going! He's coming after you!"

Sounds of a man forcing his way through the vent came to James and he took off as fast as he could. As he turned a corner, he saw Scott running after him, full tilt. Franz gave him directions that took him all over the school and every single exit was locked. Still Scott chased him with a crazy fixation. James had tried blocking his way but Scott just found a way around it some how.

"Franz! I need direction now!"

"_Take the next right._"

He dashed down the next right, his shoes slipping out from him a little. Scott was only twenty feet away and still following him.

"Need more than that."

There was a pause as Franz thought. _"Amazing. He knows where you are even when you are three corridors from him. I'm sorry but I don't know if there's anything either of us can do."_

"I need something other than that!"

"_Wait…_"

"Sorry." James slammed into the wall ahead and continued to follow the corridor.

"_There's a massive spike in the main power core for the school._"

"What does that mean?" James panted as he froze. There was a dead end. He was trapped. Quickly he turned and retreated to make his stand.

"I don't know."

"There you are—" Scott said as he found James.

But it was Scott's gasp of shock that got James on edge. There was someone standing between the two of them.

Scott took a step back a swung instinctively at the person's midsection. James' defender pulled back away from the swing, the bar passed through him as if he wasn't there and he faded.

"_A holo-projection. An A. I. holo-projection,_" Franz supplied. _ "But this school doesn't have projection cameras. One would have to reprogram and rewrite thousands of lines of code do to that."_

Scott froze and looked around, looking for his attacker.

"_Another spike._"

The man reappeared and slammed his very solid fist into Schott's back. Scott went down and James got a really good look at the holo-project that was way too solid to be a mere projection from a mere A. I.

"_Impossible._"

James did not register his A. I.'s statement.

He was staring at himself, only older with some minor changes. How…?

Scott turned to face the man. "But how? You're dead. I buried you!"

The man grinned and looked at Scott with an expression James never had. "And that's the fun part about this whole thing." And he hit Scott with SPARTAN force. Scott went down and stayed down. As his body made contact with the floor, the other man disappeared.

Silence fell and James sat down as his legs gave way.

"What… Who was that?"

"I don't know. We should go to your dad. He just might know what going on."  


* * *

Caboose was standing over the stove frowning at what might have been a stir-fry in another life when the door slammed shut. Giving up on the idea of a nice homemade dinner, he turned off the stove and went to find out what the noise was. He found James leaning against the door, breathing heavily.

"What happened?" Caboose asked as James looked up at the sound of his voice and jumped ever so slightly. "I heard Scott had been asking—"

"Church. Leonard. What did he do before joining the military?" James interrupted him.

"What? Why?"

"Because I am fairly sure I just saw him at school."

Franz materialized and said, _ "Not only did we see him, he was able to take Scott down with no trouble. It appeared that he was a hologram. A solidified holo-projection of some kind of smart AI."_

"Wait. Scott?"

James took a deep breath and quickly explained, "I had to go back to school because I forgot that book, remember? Well Scott was there. He was waiting for me. With a crowbar."

"_As far as I could discern, he had placed the school in lock down before we arrived. He planed on trapping and, in all likelihood, killing James."_

Caboose looked shocked at the news and shook his head. "Is a solid holo-projection even possible?"

"Quite. Only it takes a very special smart AI to be able to do that."

Caboose shook his head again. "I don't know why an AI would take on his –"

"What did he do before join—"

"I don't know. All he ever mentioned was dating Tex." He sat down and ran his fingers through his hair. "For all I know he could have been anything."

"Call her. Find out."

As if on cue, the phone rang. Caboose picked it up automatically.

"Hello?"

The voice on the other end was clearly digitized, as though the person was using a computer to speak. "The password to the UNSC personal files regarding AI's will be 'passover2' for the next hour and a half."

"What?"

"'passover2'." And they hung up.

Caboose stared at the receiver frowning at it in complete confusion.

"What did they say?"

"The password to the UNSC personal files regarding AI's will be 'passover2' for the next hour and a half."

James looked at Franz who raised an eyebrow. "Then what are we waiting for?"

They were in the UNSC's personal files within five minutes. A heartbeat later, they had found L. L. Church's profile.

"Let's see here," Caboose said, sitting in front of the computer, James hovering just behind him. "He was involved in the production of AIs." Scrolling down, Caboose found something that made him inhale sharply. "He was the best. Shit. He worked with the woman who designed the Master Chief's AI."

Franz spoke up, explaining what Caboose had always known so well that he had not realized that his son might not be aware of. _ "There are two kinds of AI's: smart and dumb. A smart AI has no limits to its evolution while a dumb one is made for a single propose and can not deviate from it."_

"What are you? Smart or dumb?" James asked.

"_I am a dumb AI. Now you know the names have nothing to do with intelligence."_ Franz said with an edge in his voice.

Caboose scrolled down some more. "Here." James leaned in to get a better look at the screen. "This has to be what Scott was talking about. Looks like they needed a smart AI fast. No time to do a clone, even a flash clone. Church volunteered."

"It killed him. But it saved billions of lives. Never knew he was the self sacrificing type."

Caboose looked at James' confused face and explained, "A dumb AI is programmed from scratch. A smart AI is cloned from someone's brain. Normally the brain is cloned because the process basically liquefies the brain. They needed faster than even a flash clone would allow."

Pulling back, James frowned. "He let them. He told them to use him. But all that happened years before he was even in listed."

It was Caboose's turn to be confused. "How do you know when he was in listed?"

James fidgeted a little, glanced away, and replied sheepishly, "His dog tags."

Franz, it seemed, was not paying attention. _ "How did he get to Blood Gulch if he was dead? Or even have me assigned to him or—"_

"Good question," Caboose said, interrupting the AI's string of queries before it went out of control. After a few more minutes of searching, they found what they were really looking for. "Once they were done with the AI, they put it through basic training and shipped it out. Served twice; once as a super smart AI and once as a solider."

"But," James said softly.

"How did he have you if he was just an AI?" Caboose finished for him. "This must have been what Scott was talking about."

"What do you mean?"

"He told me that the person he called his son never went to Blood Gulch. In fact according to him as well as these records, the real Church died over twenty years ago." Caboose chewed on his lip before turning to Franz. "Would it be possible for an AI to reproduce in a flesh and blood way?"

"_Hm. An advanced enough system might be able to – with enough lines of code rewritten. I would say it is possible, just not likely even though that is exactly what it looks like happened_," Franz said eyeing James.

"Whoa, back up here," James said, standing up straight and taking a step back. "You first tell me or rather not, that this Church is …" He seemed uncomfortable voicing Church's exact relation to him. "Then we find out he wasn't human?"

"James, calm down. Franz, even though the humans in Church's family die after giving birth, the AI would not have died. But because he wasn't – isn't – human –"

"_His matrix should still be around._"

James glanced around quickly. "You mean he's still … alive?"

"_It's very likely."_

A heavy silence hung in the room.

"So where is he? I mean, the AI of him?" James whispered.

"Here's another question: who told us the password."

"_It is possible that the AI gave it. Voice change is easy enough._"

"But why not just say it was him?" Caboose said, pain evident in his voice. "Why play?"

"_Maybe he must._" At the two humans' looks, Franz continued, "_As a military AI he is owned by the UNSC. It is possible they would want to get him back for study._"

"Study? Why?"

"_Simple. He has done what no other AI has done before. I would not be suspired if they wanted you two, James. It is even possible they contacted Scott to help them get you._ _"_

Caboose frowned. "But why would Scott want to capture his own grandson for a military study?"

"I don't think he thinks of me as his grandson. I'm not sure if he doesn't want me dead," James said softly.

"_Hmm. It would make sense. Scott blames the military for the death of his son. It stands to reason that he views James as just another one of their experiments."_

"He sees me as an insult to his son's memory," James said, more to himself than anyone else.

"Based on this data, I would not be surprised if the only reason Scott is helping the military is because they have to find the AI and delete him. Perhaps he has even been asked to acquire James."

"Oh gods…"

"We won't let that happen," Caboose said very firmly. "James, they are not going to get you. James. Scott will not touch you." Caboose's son looked at him with terrified eyes. Caboose had not seen someone look that scared since –

"I should still have two weeks."

"Church. You don't get those two weeks."

"But if the military is looking to get me then how—"

"Not all of the military. Franz, the woman who Church helped make the Master Chief's AI – Dr. Halsey – can you get in contact with her?" Caboose asked, turning quickly to face the AI.

"It is possible—"

"Then do it! Tell her what's happening. See if she can help."

Franz nodded and faded.

"Church was smart. I expect he found a loophole to keep his AI from being deleted."

James stared at the screen for a solid minute. "So…"

"What?"

He looked up at his father and smiled shyly. "Does this mean I will get to meet him?"

Caboose laughed at the sudden joy in James' face and all the tension from the moments before was gone.


	10. Chapter 10

There was a call the next morning. James picked it up and after a moment dropped the phone. Caboose, who was helping make breakfast, caught it and answered, hand on his son. James was stiff and cold; shock. Caboose found himself shaking slightly after listening to the woman on the other end. He nodded and hung up the phone, doing his best on to crush it. He spoke softly to James and moved to get a jacket, trying to keep his cool. James had no intention of doing that; he picked up the phone and threw it across the room. Watching it shatter did not ease the pain he felt. Caboose tried to grab him but James just pulled away, confused and hurt. It took Franz, with impeccable timing, arriving back at that moment, to calm James down enough for them to load up into the car.

The drive was silent and longer than it really was. Parking, however, and making their way up to the front desk of the hospital was all a blur.

Caboose had looked up Vince's room number because James couldn't bear to ask the nice woman on the other side of the desk. It was hard to believe the boy he had met just the other day was here. Franz, James knew, was forcing his heart rate and breathing normal. If the AI had not been doing so James was sure he would be in the middle of a panic attack. But, as Caboose led him to the room Vince was in, maybe he would have that attack anyways.

"He's in here. Do you want me to come in with you?" Caboose asked quietly.

"Just wait here?" James asked, terrified of what he would find on the other side of the door. His dad nodded and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

It was a testament of how far they had come in the last few days.

Taking a Franz induced deep breath; James entered Vince's room.

"Hey," said Vince in a painfully hoarse voice.

James pulled a chair next to Vince's bed and smiled. "Hey. How you doin'?"

Vince twitched a shoulder, the closest thing he could get to a shrug and sighed. The monitor next to him beeped. "Well enough I guess. Better than last time. I was in a coma for two days last time."

"Wow." James was still sobbing on the inside; how could Vince live like that on a day-to-day basic? Bullies at school and at home. All James had to deal with was a distanced dad and an identity crisis; cheesecake in comparison.

"So I'm counting myself lucky this time around." Vince has a bloody bandage over half of his face which was really the only color in the room.

"Ever have any permanent damage done?"

The tips of his fingers were the only things James could see of Vince's hands. "Here and there. It's not all that bad. Nothing major or life altering."

"Right. So lucky this time?"

"Yeah and I might get to start next year late. Bonus." Vince smiled a little; it looked like it hurt him to do so. "No Aaron for a while."

"Yeah, that's nice," James agreed. "But on the other hand, next year it's you and me so really there will be like no more Aaron ever." Even though what he was saying was great, James just couldn't believe that he could protect Vince. Really protect him; Aaron was just one danger among many. James knew he could not save Vince from his worst enemy: his stepfather, the one who had sent Vince here.

Vince laughed then coughed violently; once the fit was over, he smiled and said, "That would be awesome."

There was a knock and a smiling nurse walked in. "I'm sorry but Vince needs to rest."

James stood up and sighed. "It's good to see you."

"Hey we need to have a rematch. DOAX – you owe me," Vince said, smiling softly.

James nodded and left walking passed the nurse and paused in front of Caboose long enough for him to follow.

"How is he?"

"Bad. Better than last time," James muttered as Caboose started the car.

"What happened last time?"

"He was in a coma for two days. God, it's his step dad. He – damn it," James said, feeling the Franz induced control start to break down. "His step dad is going to kill him."

_"James, you can not know that, _" Franz spoke up as James' breath hitched.

"I just want to have everything go back to normal," James whispered, tears falling.

_"That might be a while coming. I got in touch with one of Dr. Halsey's AI's and she told me that the UNSC has sent men out to collect both of you."_

"What? What do they want with me?"

_"Intel as for as I can tell."_

"Intel on what? Church? Why not Tucker or Allison?" Caboose asked, voice odd.

_"They have sent men after them as well."_

"So we all will be locked up together. Awesome," James laughed, vaguely panicked.

_"There is only a slim chance they would cell all of us together."_

"Franz," Caboose hissed.

_"Yes?"_

"Shut up."

_"Right. Sorry. "_

"We are just going to get home, make something to eat, and do something relaxing. Like play some of your video games," Caboose said, turning down their street. "Oh no."

"Who is that?" James asked, a closed hand wiping stray tears from his eyes.

"Franz?" Caboose asked, "Can you tell who that is?"

_"Ah… Just give me a moment." A pause. "The blue car is … Dr. Halsey? And the black SUV is … as suspected, UNSC collectors."_

Caboose stopped the car half a block from their house, eyeing the black SUV parked in front of their house.

"What do we do?" James asked, the fear of the unknown over riding the sorrow of the known.

The radio turned on.

Everyone stared at it.

_"Franz. This is Autumn."_

_"Autumn? What-?"_

_"I don't have a lot of time. The UNSC is going to be holding a hearing on the fate of General Church's AL."_

"General?"

_"They need all of Blue team there as you spent the most amount of time with him, "_ Autumn said. _"If the AI is ruled to be the property of the UNSC there will be a second hearing to decide what happens with James." _

"What do we do right now?" Caboose asked.

_"Go with them. It will be easier on all of you. _" There was a pause. _"Do not worry. Dr. Halsey will keep Church safe. Or rather General Church knew what he was doing."_ And the radio clicked off.

Caboose turned on the car and started driving.

"What are you doing?" James hissed, grabbing his seat.

"She is right. Turning ourselves in is easiest on all of us. James, you are going to be fine," Caboose said sternly, pulling the car closer to their house. Once they pulled in, the blue car started up and left. As he got out of the car, the black SUV opened up and a few ridiculously stereotypical Gmen stepped out.

"Mr. Caboose?" the first one asked.

"Yes?" Caboose said, looking down at the slightly smaller man, drawing on his SPARTAN history and looked as imposing and imitating as possible. James, still in the car, smiled a little as the Gman looked nervous.

"I need you to come with us, sir." The Gman swallowed hard before continuing. "If you and your son can just come with us."

Caboose gave him an unsettling stare before looking at James, who was still in the car.

_"It's time to go, James,"_ Franz said pushing all of James' panic responses down. "_Dr. Halsey will not let anything happen to you_." Slowly he opened the door and climbed out. Without a word, he stood next to Caboose, perhaps a little too close to be brave.

"This way," the Gman said stepping aside, indicating they should get into the black SUV. Inside the government car two more Gmen were sitting a back seat that faced the seat Caboose and James were sitting on.

The ride was silent and very uncomfortable. Caboose silently thanked Franz as the AI kept James' frantic mind off of what was going on or where they were going. Caboose did not feel welcome to comfort his slightly hysterical son; after all there was a chance James would be deemed property of the UNSC after a hearing that could decide that the last chance of James or Caboose had of ever seeing Church again was security risk.

Caboose was ignoring the fact the man his had loved was really a computer program bur he could not ignore the fact that he wanted to see him again. Having Church die in childbirth was one thing; to have a goddamn government delete him was a whole other thing.

What happened after the car ride felt unreal. Caboose's only concern was keeping James with him; in fact he never let his hand move from his son's arm. These people had taken so much away from him, destroyed so much that he could not, would not, let them take James. So when they led them into what looked like a hotel suit, Caboose did not relax. He did let James collapse onto one of the beds shoved into the back room once the Gmen left and locked the door.

"Hey, Dad?"

"Hm?"

"What will happen if they say I belong to the military?"

"No idea." Caboose had not given that possibility much thought and he was not interested in giving it much thought.

"_James? What's under your bed?"_ Franz suddenly asked.

Groaning James rolled off the bed and crouched to look under his bed. "What the?" He reached under and pulled out a white SPARTAN helmet. "Why is this under-?"

Only recognition dawned in Caboose's eyes and he leaped over the bed, grabbing both James and the helmet. "Don't touch it!" But it was already too late.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: I so could have sworn I had posted this somewhere but I couldn't find it anywhere so I guess not. Sorry about the delay.

The meeting was not going well. The bad guys had taken ground again and again. Nothing seemed to work. They were going to lose planets and billions of people would be killed. It was going to happen, Church realized; someone was going to die. Sitting up straighter in his high backed comfortable looking but really hard ass chair, he came to a decision: why not have it be him?

"Sir?" Church raised the pen he had been pretending to be taking notes with, in reality he did not need notes, not really paying attention, and was drawing up schematics for a new pulse based weapon.

The Admiral stopped in his presentation and frowned. "General Church? What is it?"

Church leaned back, now that he had the Admiral's attention, he could relax, even with all the eyes of the ONI watching him. Dr. Halsey, he knew, was watching him very carefully; she would be the only one who would remember that he never spoke up during any of these meetings unless it was done rudely and snidely. "What if we lined out the five new MAC guns along the perimeter of the first planet? The Covenant can only take them one at time."

"And why is that, General?"

"Because of the force it took them the last twelve planets. Come on, don't you pay any attention to the statistics?" He could hear the room inhale collectively; he didn't care and ignored the lot of them. Church was an honorary member of this council and didn't much care if they kicked him off; Dr. Halsey would tell him everything that had happened anyways. "They need so many ships to take one planet. They are moving in with five times that much. Yes, they plan on taking those planets but," he held up his pen again just because it pissed of the Colonel sitting two seats down, "they plan on taking them one at a time. Get those MAC guns up and running around the first target and bam, alien dust."

The room was deafening with its silence.

Church knew the plan he had just proposed had never been implemented for one rather important and costly reason. He was just waiting for someone to bring it up.

"A sound plan on paper, Leonard, but you know we can't do it. For that to work, we would need a smart AI to control the five MAC guns," Dr. Halsey said. "There are none free and there is no time to clone. Even flash clone."

Church smiled. "I know."

That Colonel sitting two seats down from him who hated people talking with their pens whose name was something like Ackerson but Church could be wrong, names of humans were never that interesting to him causing him to frequently forget them, leaned forward. "Are you suggesting that we pick at random someone to sacrifice for this AI?"

"No, of course not," Church scoffed at the idea. "A random person would not have a decent template to generate a smart AI. No, I am suggesting Dr. Halsey uses my brain to make an AI."

Aforementioned doctor sat up, shocked. "Leonard! Are you crazy?"

"No, just the best for the job." He looked at her, a friend and coworker and a woman of staggering intelligence, the one person he did not yell at for using his first name on a regular basis, and gave her a rare smile before turning back to the Admiral, who was looking a little green at the idea of losing Church. "Anyways, it's not like we actually have time to debate this."

"I am sorry, General, but you can not make such a decision with out—" the Admiral started.

"Actually I can. I am not a member of your military, nor am I part of the UNSC as anything more than a scientist. No one owns me, Admiral. Anyways, a smart AI, that can be re-purposed, used again to save the lives of millions of other people on other planets. After, of course, this mission, which has the lives of thirteen billion people, our people, hanging in the balance. But then whether to use the smart AI or not, really," Church smiled, sarcasm entering his voice, knowing that there was no real choice in this kind of situation, "it is up to you. One life that will be replaced with an invaluable piece of technology or thirteen billion lives that can never be replaced along with the sacrifice of five damn good planets." He paused to let things sink in. "I get how that is a tough choice so I am going to get a cup of coffee," he continued standing, "and when I get back, I expect an answer. Excuse me, sir." And he left the room.

"You are crazy." Church did not stop, but turned looked behind him to see Dr. Halsey walking half a step behind him. "When did you come up with that hair brained idea? Before the meeting started or after you mentioned using the MAC guns?"

Church laughed. "Some time in between. It is the only way we can save everyone and you know it."

"Everyone but you," Dr. Halsey said sharply and grabbed his arm. "Leonard, you are invaluable. Maybe even more so than any AI you have made."

"That's sweet, Elizabeth, and incorrect and you damn well know it," he removed his arm and turned into the break room where he found a pot of coffee that had most likely been there since the night before.

"Why are you not concerned for yourself?"

"Simple. Remember the AI we got from Jerry?" he replied pouring himself a cup and placing it in the microwave to reheat.

"Yes." Jerry Davis had been a brilliant scientist who let his brain be liquefied for a smart AI some years back.

As he waited for the microwave to beep, he turned to look at Dr. Halsey. "What was so special about that one?"

She sighed and told him, "The AI adopted Jerry's personality, his mannerism, his memories. It was as though Jerry never died. I know where you are going with this."

The microwave beeped and Church retrieved his cup. "Then where am I going with this?"

"You see this as an opportunity to save billions and keep living. Be a martyr and continue to exist in some fashion at the same time. Clever but it won't work."

Taking a sip, Church smiled, "Really have no interest in being a martyr, just want the fucking job done right. And as far as it not working, we will see. Fuck this is really bad coffee. Note to self: teach some fucking marines how to make a damn pot of coffee." He poured the remains out and walked back to the briefing room. As he entered the room, he noticed it go from red hot to ice cold and took it as a good sign. "So," he started as he stood arms crossed on his chair, "what did you decide?"

The Admiral bowed his head and said with as much steel in his voice as possible, "We have approved your plan."

"Good. Dr. Halsey, I would love your assistance. We really ought to get started," he said turning to her.

****

"What is this for?" he asked, looking confused at the camera in front of his workstation.

"I thought you might want to leave a last will and testament."

"Why?" he asked fingers itching to crack its case open and see just how this model worked. "Oh wait. You mean my dad."

"I mean you should protect your legacy from those who may want to shut it down as soon as those MACs have been fired."

"Okay, after—"

"Now, Leonard." Dr. Halsey slapped his hand as it gave into the impulse to tinker. "You need to save your AI from those who do not see AIs as people."

Church groaned, "If it's based on a person, it makes it a person. Why don't people get that?" He sighed. "How do you propose I failsafe my AI?"

"I am sure you can find some clever way of keeping your AI safe," Dr. Halsey said, walking out of the room.

Church rolled his eyes and sighed. It would have to be something clever, and nasty, if he wanted the AI to last any time. But, grinning, he realized he had the perfect idea. He made a quick call, to make sure the idea would be up held, and then turned on the camera.

****

Church turned off the camera and sat back for a long moment going over his exact working, debating if he wanted to redo it. He decided against it and pushed his chair back, standing up. He cracked his neck, habit of any one who spent most of their time staring at screens, and removed his side arm. Church carefully checked the clip and safety before reloading it. He sighed and walked over to a door that was always locked; it kept most of their in progress AI's and was thusly sensitive.

Church pressed his hand to the reader and the door unlocked. He pulled it open and leveled his gun at the two hiding in the room.

****

Caboose found himself staring at the man who was pointing a gun at him. Wyoming's helmet was held loosely in his hands and otherwise forgotten at the sight of the flesh and blood ghost standing before him. James was in a similar state; caught completely off guard and totally unsure of how proceed with these new chain of events. Luckily, neither James no Caboose had to come up with anything to say.

"How did you two get in here?" Church asked, side arm dropping.

Still shaken, Caboose said the first thing that came into his head. "What do you mean?"

Church leaned against the door jam and holstered his gun. "Only two people's hand prints are enrolled in that reader. Mine and Dr. Halsey. I didn't let you in and … How did you get that?" His voice trailed off as he eyed the SPARTAN helmet and he stiffened. "Where did yo—let me see that." He held out his hand but when Caboose did not make a move to hand it to him Church grabbed it out of his hand. He flipped it over and started to examine the insides. Keeping his eyes on the helmet he waved Caboose and James out. "Get out of the room. I need to lock it."

Caboose pulled a still shell shocked James out of the room and stared as Church locked the door without ever taking his eyes off the helmet. They watched as Church sat down at a workstation that had for some reason a camera set up on it as though Church had been recording something. Confused and working off of a stunned brain, Caboose reached out to touch the camera, to check if it was real. If it was real, then maybe Church was real.

"Oh don't touch that. Catherine would kill me if that file does not get to her later today. She will file an official protest and stop Admiral Hood from letting my plan go ahead," Church said turning to look at Caboose and James, really look at them, for the first time. "Are you guys related?"

"What? Oh, yeah, James is my son," Caboose replied, a little surprised that Church would notice any resemblance between Caboose and James while not seeing the very strong resemblance James had to Church.

"So, James," Church said, pointing at him. "And you are?" he asked switching to Caboose.

"Michael Caboose." He paused realizing there was a question he was expected to ask but it felt so strong just thinking about it. Fortunately, Church answered the unspoken question.

"I'm Church. Now I can do a couple of things with you. But I really hate paperwork so I hope to pretend all this didn't happen. I can do that only if you answer some questions."

"Are you allowed to do that?" James asked looking perplexed.

"No. But they can't do anything about it." Church pulled something out of the helmet. "Do either of you know what this is?"

"We didn't say we would answer your questions," James said, a little definitely.

Church merely raised an eyebrow with a look that clearly explained what would happen if Church had to file all that paperwork.

"No," Caboose said. "I never had a chance to look inside Wyoming's helmet." He decided he wanted to tell Church everything that the man wanted. It just felt too strange to with hold information from him.

"This is a very experimental piece of equipment that allows the manual manipulation of time. It is not in use as it is not finished yet." Church held up an object that looked very similar if not exactly the same as the one he pulled from the helmet. "This," he held up the one from the helmet, "looks finished. Usable even." He put it all down and eyed the two. "You can not get into that room from the outside. I looked at the coordinates for the time and place which were in that room," he gestured to the locked AI room, "and now. I cannot tell how far you traveled but I can tell from which direction. You two came from the future."

"Yeah," Caboose said.

"Where did you find it?"

"Under the bed," James said. Caboose could feel the boy going from shocked and speechless to sullen and pissed.

Church frowned and was about to ask something when Caboose cut in. "It's a long story. We don't know how or why it was in our room."

"No idea who put it there?" Church asked.

"None. Why?"

Church flipped the unit from the helmet over. "This was broken. It was shorted and someone fixed it. Any one could have fixed it but this," he turned on a bright LED light and showed Caboose and James a tiny square. There was something etched in the casing. It looked like a signature. "That's mine. I do that to all the pieces I personally work on." To prove it, Church scribbled it on his workstation and the two were almost identical. "I worked on this. I fixed this. Only I haven't been able to put my research into temporal distortions into practice."

Caboose shook his head. "What does that mean?"

Church looked up at him. "I am not sure."

"Can you send us back?" James hissed. "I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

Both SPARTANs looked at him and only under their combined disapproving gaze did he wilt. "I can send you back. I just need to make the calculations and put them in."

"Will you?"

"James!" Caboose stared at his offspring, shocked but not really. After so long wondering about Church, James finally had the chance to meet him only to have it be the wrong Church.

"It's fine. I get worse from Ackerson. Yeah, I will send you two back. If I didn't there would be even more paper work." He sat down and pulled a few tools and other things that Caboose had never seen before closer towards him.

Caboose realized he was thirsty. It was an odd realization with an even odder dilemma. Get something to drink or stay with Church. "Um, is there a place I can get something to drink?" Or go somewhere it didn't hurt quite so much.

Church did not look up, just handed him a key card and pointed. "Two doors down. On the left." As Caboose left, he called after him, "Don't drink the coffee!"

James huffed and went back to staring daggers at the man in front of him. Church went back to ignoring the boy behind him who was trying to make him combust using only the power of his mind. After a few minutes of this Church realized it was disrupting his work. Something had to change. He had to find out what the kid's damage was or he would break.

"What is your problem?" Church snapped, slamming down his tool. "You have been holding some massive hostility towards me. We just met. So what the fuck?" Okay so he broke anyways.

James could feel himself starting to shake with uncontrolled rage. Belatedly he remembered he had forgotten to take his pills. "You left us," he snarled. "You left me! You could have stayed but you didn't!" The fact that this Church had no idea what he was ranting about did not seem to matter, nor did the possibility of fucking up the timeline. "I got to grow up with Dad looking at me as though I were a ghost! All I am to him is a constant reminder of what he lost. That is my problem," he said, coming down a little. "Allison had to tell me about Franz so he could tell me about you. Dad couldn't even give me your name." Slightly deflated and a little embarrassed at the honesty of the rant, James left the room, passing Caboose who was on his way in.

Looking half confused and half concerned, Caboose looked at Church. "What was that about?"

Church stared at him for a moment. At this point Caboose had put that look with quick and complicated calculations. The Church from Blood Gulch had a similar look but it was normally done when he was thinking up a really biting insult. "So, how far into the future are you guys from?"

Frowning, Caboose thought hard. "About twenty years."

"Uh huh. Do you know what I am trying to do?" Church was looking at him just like his Church had looked at him when things were getting a little life and death. Unsure how to answer, Caboose shook his head. "There are five planets with thirteen billion people. In about three days enough Covenant ships to glass all those planets will show up. The UNSC are sending five MAC guns, the same kind that make up the orbital defense around Earth." Caboose had been told all of this at some point. At some point he had also forgotten it all. These guns can take out the ships before anyone is killed but to do that there are thousands of calculations that must be made. No crew can do it. A dumb AI cannot do it either."

"You need a smart AI," Caboose said, realizing he was going to loose Church twice.

"There is no time for a flash clone." Church pinched his nose and sighed. "My brain is going to be used to create a smart AI. It is possible that the AI will take on my personality and retain my memories. In essence, become me. Normally an AI only lives seven years but if one did not know it was an AI or did not do much military calculations, an AI could live a normal life span." Caboose had no idea where any of this was going. Church groaned, frustrated. "Fuck it. Did you know my AI?"

Caboose blinked but figured he really shouldn't be so surprised. This was still Church. "Yes. I did know him. He was stationed at Blood Gulch with me."

"Where you in a relationship with…" Church seemed unsure of what word to use.

Caboose made it easy for the General (he was not his Church) and answered, "I had fallen in love with your AI. We had started a sexual relationship before the war ended."

"Did he?" There was some kind of yearning, a desire that had went unfulfilled, in his voice.

"James was born just after the treaties were signed." Caboose was trying to keep all emotion from his voice but it was not easy to think of that night.

Church, the General who made AI's not the Private who had love him, sat down looking just as drained as James had only moments before. "Now it makes sense. But for an AI to," he waved his hand at the door James had stormed out of. "The number of lines of code that would have to be rewritten numbers in the thousands if not tens of thousands. But there is one thing I don't get." He looked at Caboose and that look made Caboose's chest seize. "What did James mean by leaving him?"

"Your gene to …" Caboose had to stop before he even really began to take a stabilizing breath. "The gene, if activated kills. He did not know he was an AI so he died. I buried him," he added as a whisper.

"But it would have to be a routine program. A simulation based on the AI's perception of reality. The matrix should still be around. Goddamnit." It seemed both Church's had volatile tempers. "It's not fair," he said just as softly as Caboose had been. "Look I can't fix this thing with James. Even if I knew how to, I just do not have the time. And," he said heavily, "neither do you."

"What?" Caboose's heart skipped a couple beats.

Church, his Church at least, had never bee this talented with electronics, Caboose realized as this other Church held up the time distortion unit. "It's fixed. The coordinates have been set." He did not say that the other reason why there was no time: General Church had an appointment to have his brain liquefied in less than a hour. "It's time for you to go back."

Caboose grabbed Church's shoulders, unable to watch him die. "Come with us. You don't have to this! Come with us and we can be a family. A real family. I can't loose you again," he said suddenly feeling just as broken as he had been when his Church, the real Church (or was it the fake Church?) had died.

But this Church just smiled that there-is-nothing-you-can-do smile and gently removed his hands. "If I were to go with you, five planets, five MAC guns, and thirteen billion people would be lost. Caboose, you can't loose me again because you never had me. That family you want never included me. And if I were to go with you, there would be no Blood Gulch and no AI for you to fall in love with. Without that, there would be no James, thus no family for you to find. I cannot go. I have to do this." And all Caboose could think was why did his eyes have to be so damn understanding. "Cheer up. You will find him. He is out there somewhere." He paused and nodded to himself. "If you can find James, we can get this over with."

Caboose was not sure how he walked out of that room or where he found James or what he told his still sullen son, but hours or minutes later, they stood in front of General Church, the shaper of destinies and their very existence, ready or not to go back to their own time. Church keyed some commands into his computer and turned to look at them one last time as the temporal unit powered up. As Caboose and James faded from the room, Church gave a silent good bye in the form of a salute to the family he still had to look forward to. And as Church faded with the room, Caboose realized Church had understood so much of what had gone unsaid. The rushed good byes were not some product of convenience; they were parting this way because Church had understood everything and he had cared.

General Church was sparing Caboose from loosing his lover a second time.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: I wrote just about all of this today. I expect tons of odd typeos as half was done via a keyboard and the second via just my iPad. So lots do dialog. Walls of text. Stuff happens. I realized I wears going to have a hard time writing angers James as I shave lost a great deal of my anger since I last touched this so he gets to get over a plot of issues really fast. And I don't agree with everything Caboose says, just most of it.

* * *

The next day different Gmen came to take them to what turned out to be the hearing hall. They were placed in a room just off to the side and locked back in. They were told the hearing would start in approximately fifteen minutes. There was complete silence for two minutes before Caboose broke it.

"You didn't need to be so rude to him," he said softly.

"What? To who?" James asked, startled by the question.

"General Church. He was just trying to help. There was no need to be so rude," Caboose repeated.

"Really? You want to talk about this here? Now?"

"Why? Did you have something else to talk about?" Caboose asked coolly.

"No! Dad, I don't want to talk right now," James yelped, upset his dad wanted to talk about etiquette right then.

"Well, I want to. He," Caboose said avoiding Church's name, "mentioned you were feeling like he abandoned you."

"Well, he did." James' shoulders wilted and he seemed fascinated with his hands.

"No he didn't, his AI thought he was dead."

"How does that make it better?" James' voice rose in volume a little.

"There is a chance-" Caboose started.

"Dad, I really don't know right now. I get that there might be an AI out there that thinks it is Church, but right now, I just don't see how that matters. I might still suddenly become military property and what difference would a damn AI make?" James huffed, voice thick.

"I don't know but Church..." Caboose sighed heavily before smiling a little. "Church always had some kind of plan. He always knew what he was doing."

James leaned against his extremely uncomfortable chair, back twisted to face away from his dad. "Yeah, but that's the wrong Church."

"They are essentially the same person. If our Church was always one step ahead of everyone else, I am sure General Church was at least one step ahead as well." Caboose rubbed his son's back in a reassuring gesture and continued, "It will work out."

James jerked away and whipped around to face Caboose. "You don't know that!"

But before Caboose could respond to that outburst, a Gman opened the doors and said, "It's time."

The court room was not as imposing as James had expected. In fact he felt a little odd at just how empty the room was. Sure there was a judge's bench that seated four judges and there was a witness stand, but only to people other than the judges. He recognized nether of them. One was an older woman with short greying hair and a serious face. She reminded James of a stern librarian. The other was a man dressed in military dress uniform. Neither looked up as James and his dad were seated. The judges were painfully typical: old, white hair, lined faces, black robed. It was then James noticed that the possible librarian was holding a disc and talking very fast to the judges. The military was nodding and seemed oddly agreeable. The judges were all frowning.

"Don't say anything, okay, James?" Caboose said softly, watching the six people in front of them. The Gmen had sat down behind them. "We don't know what could happen here. We don't want to mess anything up ." James nodded, understanding.

After a couple of moments, there was some footsteps and James turned to look. He smiled involuntarily at the sight of Allison and Tucker walking toward them. The Gmen motioned to have them sit on the other side of the room but Allison ignored them completely and pushed the much more docile Tucker into the seat next to Caboose. When one of the Gmen tried to take her arm, she decked him. James found himself staring. She hadn't just hit him, nor had the punch forced him to the floor, it had knocked him out cold, his glasses smashed on his face. The action was in complete disconnect to her next move: she took the seat next to James with all the delicacy of a lady, inclosing him in on both sides with people he trusted.

She smiled at him and nodded at Caboose. "So how goes it so far?"

"It hasn't yet."

"Who are we waiting for?"

"Scott Church will need to be here before we can proceed," the librarian said. She had apparently finished talking to the judges and had turned her attention to the four people seated in the back of the room. "This will not be a very long trial, don't worry." With that she took a seat in the front of the room.

One of the judges spoke up. "Dr. Halsey, I still do not completely understand why you felt you had to come all the way down here to over see such a minor issue."

"It may be a minor issue for you but for the humans involved, it is rather life changing," she replied cooly.

"Dr. Halsey?" Allison gasped quietly. "No way. She started the SPARTANs. Her work is unparalleled in AI's and genetics. It can be argued that she single handedly won the war."

"Which one?" James asked.

"Any of them."

This revelation was cut off when yelling was heard. Sounded like some Gmen were trying to get someone to cooperate with them who didn't want to.

"Ah. That must be Scott," Dr. Halsey remarked dryly.

A moment later the doors opened and someone who must be Scott, James hadn't gotten a great look at him back at the school, came in looking ready to murder.

"Let's get this over with. I demand that the AI my son left be destroyed so he can finally rest," Scott stated.

"Please be seated, Mr. Church," one of the judges said.

"No, as next of kin, that AI-"

"Only if there is no will," another judge cut in. "One of the things we are here to do is make General Church's will known to those it is relevant to."

"There is no will-"

Dr. Halsey stood up, holding the disc high. "There is. I have it here."

The military man, who had sat down at one of the tables, groaned. "Let's try to keep this as civil as possible."

A judge hit her gavel down. "Mr. Scott Church. Be seated so we may begin."

Growling a little, Scott sat down.

"Thank you. Now we are all here to hear the case of the UNSC vs Scott Church. Mr. Church is demanding the destruction of a smart AI that his son, the late Leonard Church, left upon his death. Is this correct?"

"Yes, your Honor," the military man replied.

"Good. Now." She looked around at the small group in front of her. "I believe Dr. Halsey has something she wants us all to see before we proceed any farther."

A different judge, the one who made the comment about the minor issue, snorted. "I doubt it can have any weight."

"Dr. Halsey," the first judge said stiffly. "If you would?"

"Thank you, you Honor," Dr. Halsey said and stood. "Just before Leonard underwent the procedure that resulted in his death, I asked him to record a last will and testament. I now hold that here."

"Dr. Halsey, would you for the benefit of those here, explain just what the procedure was and why General Church underwent it?"

"Gladly. Leonard underwent a procedure to have his brain turned into a smart AI in order to pilot several MAC guns against an armada of Covenant ships that were going to destroy a series of planets."

"And just how many people did he save?"

"It is estimated that Leonard saved thirteen billion people."

"Thank you," the judge, the nice one, said. "Please play the disc."

Scott stood up. "I object to having my son's will shown in such a public venue."

"No," Dr. Halsey said. "You object to your son having a will that might keep your will from happening."

With that the Doctor played the video on the disc. The scene was oddly familiar. Church sitting at his desk, the camera facing the rest of the room. "My name is Leonard L. Church. I have the honorary rank of General in the UNSC." This was filmed just before they had arrived in the past James realized. "I make AI's for the military. These AI's run most things right now, from teaching, ordering new supplies, to keeping the Earth Orbital Defense intact. In fact I have about an hour left to live: I plan on having my brain used to create a smart AI to save several colonies. Once this goal has been achieved, there will be some ..." Here Church paused, looking for the right word. "Dispute about what will be done with my AI. But more importantly that this is the fact I believe that a smart AI is in essence the person who gave their brain to it. Look at Cortona if you don't believe me." He smirked a little, obviously enjoying some inside joke. "The real issue here is my dad." James looked at Scott who looked as though he wanted to scream. When James looked back at the recording, he jumped: Church was looking right at his father. Somehow he had predicted the entire situation down to the seat his dad would be sitting in. "Simply put you can't destroy my AI. Why? Well, it's an all or nothing. I have worked on, created, and written the programming for thousands of AIs over the years. If you want to delete one, you delete them all." Someone snorted, as though they didn't believe in either the importance of the AI's or in the legitimacy of the threat. "Maybe you don't understand quite what that means so let me lay it out for you: the number of AI's I have worked on in short comes to this. All of them. Every single AI. That is from the teachers in your schools, those programs running the power plants, to the AI's running the military and the defense around our planets. All of them gone." The silence in the court room took a turn for the stunned. "This means that the AI that saved the humans, here I am of course talking about the lovely Cortona who worked with the Master Chief, will be deleted. Shame too, think of all the data that would be lost when she goes offline." Here Church leaned forward. "That AI is me. I am that AI. In this there is no discussion." He straightened up and flashed a nasty grin at the camera. "Balls in your court, Dad."

And the video went black.

Dr. Halsey stopped the disc and turned to face Scott. "Your son was brilliant. And before you ask, yes, every word he said is correct. His will shall be held up. If his AI is deleted, every single one Leonard as every worked on, however indirectly, will be destroyed. That will bring our numbers of AI down to zero. Nor will any more be able to be created using any of the work he has done. To do this would set our existence back for several centuries at best." She sat down.

Who seemed to be the head judge nodded. "Admiral?" she addressed the military.

"It's all true. To remove the AI's would cripple our military, our power grids, any medical procedures, and so much more. AI's regulate the communication between the colonies and Earth. They would be lost."

"And it has been sanctioned? This mass deletion?"

"Yes, your Honor. It has gone all the way up. And I would like to make a point here: there are not just some complex calculators here. We are talking about sensate creatures here. They are completely aware. They will know what we are doing," the Admiral added.

"Oh horseshit!" Scott burst out. "You are talking about this like it's genocide. And I refuse to believe that anyone would agree to cripple our worlds like this."

"Leonard can be very persuasive. I have always been amazed at what he could do," Dr. Halsey said.

The head judge was looking at the judge who had been so nasty earlier. "Hold no weight indeed."

The minor judge coughed. "I had no idea."

The head judge hit her gavel again. "It is the understanding of this court that the AI General Church created is like any solider. It was conscripted to do a job that has long been preformed. Now it is no more a possession of the military as a discharged marine. This matter is dismissed." She hit her gavel one last time.

James glanced at Caboose, who was shaking his head. "Wait, what just happened?"

"Church covered his ass," Caboose said, laughing.

"Yeah, but it was like he needed a pistol and he used a freaking nuclear strike," Tucker laughed. "Typical Church."

"I say we go home and have something lovely to eat, like steak or ice cream," Allison said, grinning.

"So," James still seemed to be stuck.

"It's okay. You are not going anywhere. You're safe," Caboose said and hugged his son.

"No. No. I refuse to accept this!" Scott was trying to get to James but the Admiral and several Gmen were holding him back. "Get over here! This is not over!"

Allison laughed. "God I hate that guy."

They had decided on ice cream sundaes to celebrate. So they stopped at the local store and got something like five flavors and all the trimmings. It was as though life had been leading up to this moment and, now that it was all over, life was allowed to move in a different direction. The atmosphere back at the house was so different than it had ever been. Something had changed, as though now with Church out in the open, stories could be shared, smiled could be shown, fears could be faced.

James was chocking on his melting sundae as Tucker related a story of Church trying to hit something with his sniper rifle. Everyone was laughing, Caboose was crying he was laughing so hard. James was sure this was a dream. There was simply no way this was his life right now. There was nothing that he could have done to deserve any of this. They spent the rest of the day in a similar state, telling stories, laughing so hard they couldn't eat their ice cream and generally spoiling their dinner.

It was dark before James noticed what was wrong. "Franz?"

There was no response, no flicker of recognition, no anything from the AI.

"Franz?"

Still nothing.

At this point Tucker noticed James stiffen. "What? Something wrong?" he asked slurping his melted sundae.

"Franz is not responding."

Allison glanced at Caboose. "James, AI's don't last very long. Most don't last more than seven years."

James looked at her, a strange denseness filling his chest. "Do they die?"

"No, it's not quite," she tried but seemed unable to find the words. She glanced again at Caboose who sat down his bowl and held out his hand.

"Let me see him, James." Silently, trying not to shake, he pulled the chip containing Franz out of his head and handed it over. Caboose held the crystal up to the light and sighed. He tugged his son over so he could see what Caboose was. "Do you see how clear it is?"

"Yeah," James whispered. "It shouldn't be, should it?"

"No, if this was a new AI chip, it would be completely opaque. It's like their battery. As the AI does things, the color slowly is used up until there is no more. Normally, the degeneration is... is felt by the AI. Their mind starts to deteriorate and they become non sensical. It's like dementia for humans. If Franz is gone, he managed to go without any of that," Caboose explained gently.

"Oh," James said. He felt like that time when he was still just a kid and had found a dead bird. He had brought it to his dad asking what was wrong with it, Caboose had given a very similar talk to him then too. The bird had not made sense but some how this time it did. "So that's it. No more Franz."

"I am so sorry James," Allison said. And suddenly the lightness of the day was gone. It was as though they had won James only to loose Franz.

"It's okay," James said, feeling not nearly as alone as he thought he should be. Maybe he really was okay. Or maybe- He jumped as he took back the chip and it zapped him.

"What was that?" Tucker asked, looking serious despite the melted ice cream covering the lower part of his face.

"I don't know," James said, looking at the chip. "But I guess it doesn't matter a whole lot any more."

There was an extremely tense and unbelievably uncomfortable moment. James stood up.

"Okay, no more of this. I can't stand it."

"Of what?"

"This!" He waved his hands around in a manner that was much more Caboose than Church. "Yeah Franz was awesome and great and now that he's gone it sucks big time. But I just got the okay from the UNSC that they can't do anything to me. I learned today that Church was epicly awesome and totally badass to be able to do the things he did from the fucking grave!" James turned to his father. "And you! You were smiling. And not that I-am-sad-but-need-a-brave-face smile but a real one! You haven't laughed, really laughed in years." James turned to Tucker and Allison. "And you two are simply the best. I am happier right now than I have been in," he paused trying to remember, "ever. I might have passed all my finals meaning I get to finish school. If not, fuck it. I don't care. I feel free. I am not going to let something like a friend dying pull me down. And it shouldn't you guys either."

Tucker laughed warmly. "Nice."

Allison shook her head. "All right."

Caboose smiled and pulled his son onto his lap long enough to give him a kiss. "You are right. As always. Look," he said sounding happily surprised, "my ice cream has melted. I need more. Can I get anyone anything?"

That seemed to rekindle the mood from earlier. Soon everyone had a stomach ache from all the ice cream and all the ice cream was gone.

Allison was slowly eating the remaining cherries from the jar, Tucker asleep with his head on her leg. James had just about drifted off to sleep at that point. There was something so soothing about listening to his dad and Allison talking about absolutely nothing.

Life was good, James decided as he finally drifted off.

It was nearly a week before any news showed up. It came in the form of a letter as most things from school did. Caboose had brought it up and James was reading it frowning.

"So? What is the verdict?"

James groaned. "I failed just enough to be held back." He flopped back onto his bed and crushed the letter. "I will never get out of high school."

"Hm."

James sat up again and glared at his dad. "I am forever to stay in high school and you say hm?"

"Yeah, I think they are wrong."

Confused as to Caboose's completely blah attitude, James chucked the letter at him. "Yeah well there isn't much you can do about that."

"Actually, there is a whole lot I can." Caboose caught the letter and read it quickly. "Yeah. You are done with high school." He pocketed the letter and started down the stairs. He called back, "Have you put any thought to college?"

James stayed sitting on his bed for a good minute before following his dad downstairs and to breakfast. "What are you talking about? You need to finish high school before college."

"Pancakes?"

"Dad!"

"Pancakes it is."

"Hold on. What are you talking about? Me going to college?"

Caboose had the pancakes sizzling in the pan before answering. "There are several ways of getting into college. One is finish high school and enroll into whatever school that takes you. Two is to ignore how well you did in college and simply throw enough money at a college and they will take you. Three is to ignore how well you did in high school and transfer from a CC."

James gave his father a blank look. Caboose flipped the cakes and explained, "You have options. Hell, depending on what you wanted to do, you can do it without going to school. Sometimes all the employers are looking for is skill. If it is something that is completely skill based, you can do it all on your own without needing to even go to school." The cakes were transferred onto a plate and placed in front of James. "Anyway, I am sick of dealing with that school and think it is time you simply had a different environment. College could be really good for you. I know you are smart-" another sizzle as more pancakes met the hot surface of the pan, "-and I think you know that too. What you need is space to grow and that stupid high school is no place to do that."

James was just about to take a bit of food when he looked up, shocked. "Stupid school?" "Yeah. Okay so maybe I am bias. I never finished middle school much less high school. I learned things out in the world."

Taking a bit, James grinned. "Out in the real world?"

"And what does that mean? The real world? No, school is real, it's simple different from the work you will be saddled with." Caboose frowned. After pausing long enough for the pancakes to smoke he turned to James. "Do you know why people work?"

Still confused but rather enjoying this odd Caboose he was faced with. "To be a productive member of society?"

"Good gods! They got to you too! No, to make money so you can survive. SO," lots of stress on that one word, "what if you don't need a job because you have enough money in the bank to survive?"

"Then why work?" James suddenly straightened and glared daggers at his father. "If we have so much money why are you working?"

Cringing, Caboose answered, looking painfully chagrinned, "So I didn't have to be home with you. I know! I know how that sounds but I was in a lot of pain and wasn't willing to get over it for you." Caboose turned to face his still stung son holding a plate of slightly blackened pancakes. "I am thinking. How would you like to take a semester or year off and I quit my job and we go travel. Somewhere, anywhere. Off planet even." He sat down and grinned. "You know, to get to know each other."

James laughed and nearly chocked on the food in his mouth. After swallowing he said, "You can not be serious."

"I am. One hundred percent. Why not? Come on, James. Tell me why."

"School."

"You clearly are not listening. Anyway, college is only useful if you have a direction. Do you have a direction?"

"Well no. I have no idea what I would study."

"So who cares about school? Next."

"Your job. You can't just quit!"

"Turns out I can. Dave can handle whatever they need until they hire a replacement."

"What about the house?"

Caboose's eyes suddenly light up.

"Oh no. Now what?" James asked.

"We could sell it! No, really listen. I got this place for the schools. It was close to a place I could work at. But oh lord is it not me. Like why do we have Oriental rugs? I don't even like white! I want rooms with different colored walls. A green room! A blue room! Maybe with horses. I grew up with horses! I loved them. We can move somewhere that has acreage to have horses. I can teach you how to take care of them. We could build our house. Plan it from the top down. You could even have your own place, separate from me. I grew up with seventeen sisters. You clearly have no idea what that is like but having your own real space would be good. What?" Caboose came down from his dreaming to address his shell shocked son.

"Seventeen sisters?"

"I never mentioned that?"

"No! Nor did you mention the horses. Dad! You never talked about you!"

Caboose leaned over his food and grinned. "On the moon colony, seventeen sisters, thirty horses. It was incredible, insane but incredible."

"How did you guys afford thirty horses?"

"How do you think we can afford to not work and get a better place?"

James stared. "Are you telling me we are rich?"

"Disgustingly rich. I mean it's gross. Mom and Dad just about owned the entire moon when the colony first started. They didn't sell until all us kids left. Even split eighteen ways, it's plenty for you and me to die with." Caboose got up and got some orange juice.

"Dad, are you having a midlife crisis?"

"Maybe. But if so, I think we should enjoy it while it lasts." Caboose grinned and they finished breakfast discussing school, college, and what James might want to do with the next step of his life.

Once they were done and all the dishes had been cleared, Caboose pulled out of his pocket a small envelope. It was surprisingly heavy James realized when it was handed to him. "What's this?" He turned it over several times but there was no marking other than his name and address.

"A gift from a new friend."

James opened it and a disc slipped out. He stared at it for a heart beat. "Dad, is this what I think it is?"

"Dr. Halsey thought you ought to have it." Caboose headed out of the kitchen and said, "You have the day. Have fun with it."

James, heart beating fast, took the disc upstairs and played it.

It was Church's will. James watched it again and now that the threat was gone, he enjoyed the nuances that were in the recording. Like how Church would talk with his hands in subtle ways, as though he had been told to stop it enough times for it to not quite stop him but definitely hinder his natural inclinations. By the time the recording was over, James felt drained. Was this the only way he would ever have any anything with his other parent?

He sighed heavily, trying not to cry, when the video started up again.

"All right, now that's out if the way. Elizabeth, give this to James, long story, when the time comes. You'll know when." Church here was looking distinctly unsure. He stared at his hands for a while before looking back a the camera.

"James, I expect this is getting to you sometime after my dick of a father pulls whatever horseshit he will pull. Something about deleting my AI to let me rest peacefully." Church sneered a little and James smiled, a tear freeing itself to fall son his face. "I am really sorry about all the shit that has happened to you. And maybe even more about the stuff that hasn't. I am not sure if anyone even know this but," Church inhaled deeply, "the only thing I have ever really wanted was a family. Mine growing up sucks ass, only kid, no mom, ass for a dad. I have no idea just how it was to grow up with Caboose," he laughed. "Great name. But I see too many similarities to be comfortable. It sucks not only that I can only apologize once you're gone and I'm dead, from your point of view, but I'm not even the right guy. I'm not your dad, and your dad is not human. I can't even begin to imagine just how fucked up you are." James laughed at the man's brutal honesty. "But for what it's worth, I am sorry. I think you're a great kid and Caboose seems like if he wasn't so broken he'd be awesome. I think just about every kid deserves better than what they got." James fingered Franz's chip, even though the AI was gone, he still got comfort from touching the crystal. "Sometimes it can seem like karma. I know I was convinced I had clearly done something seriously wrong to be punished in such a nasty way. Being forced to live with that guy as a father. But I did nothing. I kept my head down. I worked hard t school, it was a haven from him. He wouldn't hurt me if I was studying. Got into ever single college on several planets." Church laughed. "Always been a little embarrassed about that.

"I am not sure what I would have done if the military hadn't noticed my work with artificial intelligence. But I got lucky. And I managed to never see my dad in person again. Dr. Halsey helped get a lot off the ground. Of course to work well with SPARTANs and their AI it is best to become one. I have the rather unexpected honor of sparring with the Master Chief on a somewhat regular basis. To help calibrate Cortona to him. I don know how the war turns out. I expect we won but I don't how much we won. What we lost." Church was staring off somewhere. The look on his face was hard to read. Regret?

"I can't make up for anything. Nor can I guaranty a god damn thing. And at this point words are kinda useless. "Actions are suppose to speak louder but I can't do anything at this point so what use are actions? I have spent the first part I my life hiding from a bully. Then I spent every moment up to now," Church looked at the clock. How much time did he have left? "Trying to make a legacy, I guess. Most people have legacies through physical means. I did this through my AI's. Or at least I tried. I even experimented with AI's to help mediate emotions. There was this one, uh, Franz, fully realized artificial neural specialist. He spent a lot of time with me, actually. I have a temper, as you have to have realized," Church laughed. "But he helps keep it smooth. Slows down the reactions. In doing options appear. You know, I don't have to hit him, I can call him something instead or even walk away. But I know he won't last forever. His programming is designed to release a burst upon, well the technical term doesn't ... When Franz dies he releases a burst that can permanently mediate the motions of whomever has him. I am telling you this because I could tell you have him. You had him when you were here. I think knowing that, that Franz gives one last gift, is kind of like what I am doing. What you have done for me.

"So ..." He trailed off looking exhausted. "I always figured this last AI would be my legacy but then you. Maybe there is no point in saying sorry as it is not my fault. But I can say thanks, kid. You are so much more to me than anything. Before, the," motions with his hands, "was about saving a bunch of faceless people in a different solar system. But now, this is about you. I was doing this because I was the only thing that was logical. Just like everything else in my life. You gave me a reason. I don't know how the war turned out but I kinda feel like I will do anything to ensure you survive." Another look at the clock.

"I don't have much time so." He took a deep breath. "Thank you, James."

And the video ended.


End file.
